Situated on the Gulf Coast of Texas just east of Houston, Port Arthur is a picturesque location that also faces natural challenges like 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. With that in mind, when the Port Arthur Independent School District passed a $190 million bond issue and was planning the construction of two new elementary schools, they chose The Garland Company Inc.'s R-Mer Shield for the metal roofs.

The patented R-Mer Shield standing seam structural roof system is engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 200 mph. The school trusted in the system so much so that while this project was being installed, the team from Perkins Roofing Company was also installing the same panels on another elementary school in town. All told, R-Mer Shield will be installed on a total of four schools in the district. For each project, the team at Garland engineered custom metal systems to tie into the Garland low-slope roof systems installed on each facility.

Most of all, the final sleek appearance on Sam Houston Elementary complemented the safety goals achieved by the system – which earned the seal of approval from the stringent Texas Department of Insurance. The R-Mer Shield panels for Sam Houston Elementary were formed from 24-gauge steel in the color Pewter.

The roofing contractor was Perkins Roofing Company Inc. of Beaumont, TX. The architect was Harrison Kornberg Architects of Houston, TX.

Photo credit: Christian Scully/Design Imaging Studios.