A transit-oriented development (TOD), Park Station is a $27 million, 4-story, 99-unit infill condominium project in South San Francisco, CA. Immediately adjacent to a Bay Area Rapid Transit Station (BART), Park Station includes structured parking for up to 600 vehicles, fitness facilities, a recreation room with kitchen and media lounge, and is a short walk from local shops, restaurants, and open space.
“City officials wanted something special and distinctive for this dominant site, something that didn’t look residential. That’s the reason they went with the standing seam metal roof from Custom-Bilt Metals,” says Mark Ebner, Principal of Arbor Building Group, the project’s contractor. “They wanted a material that would need virtually no maintenance (which helps to minimize future owners’ monthly maintenance charges), plus something that dressed up the area and gave the project a little more of a higher profile.”
The chosen product was Titan® Standing Seam CS-100 roofing from Custom-Bilt Metals, which features snap-on batten (capped) seams that lock the individual panels securely into place. The CS-100 line is available in 25 colors featuring Titan Cool Roof reflective paint system, which offers a 35-year, no-fade warranty. Park Station is covered by approximately 18,000 sq. ft. of the panels formed from 24-gauge Zincalume-coated steel with a Kynar Ultra-Cool coating.
The roof’s Custom-Bilt Metals Bronze color was integral to the color scheme for the entire project. The city planning department was involved with color selection, because they wanted a stately, elegant, timeless project. In neighboring cities, some of their buildings look too much “of their time,” says Ebner. “You can tell what everyone was doing and when. With the metal roofing on our project, it’s a distinctive, high-quality product that is timeless.”
A Challenge Met And Conquered
The project is located within feet of existing infrastructure and utilities, including overhead power lines, a 16” water main for the San Francisco, the BART tunnel, and a state highway. Material deliveries were tricky at best, says Ebner, “but one of the great things about Custom-Bilt Metals is the stuff came palletized and we could unload it quickly off the trucks and get it onto the roof where it needed to go, as opposed to packing around bundles of shingles.”
In California, developers and builders are expected to guarantee their work for 10 years. “So you always look for products with a 10-year guarantee,” says Ebner. “Custom-Bilt Metals exceeded that.”
He added, “Also: I don’t want leaks or mold. That was one of the advantages of standing seam: a long-term performance.”
Custom-Bilt Metals responded in a timely fashion during the project, says Ebner. “Our sheet metal contractor (Lefco Inc.) got product delivery status reports on demand, and during the install, when they needed something that couldn’t have been anticipated, such as special flashing at a fireplace penetration, it was ordered and we got it right away.
“I would absolutely do another project with Custom-Bilt Metals,” says Ebner.
Arbor Building Group Inc., based in Lafayette, CA, served as contractor for the Park Station project which was developed by SummerHill Homes. The metal panel installer was Lefco Inc. The architect was MVE Architects (McLarand, Vasquez, Emsiek & Partners), Oakland, CA. The project started in May 2007 and was completed in November 2008.