The Campbell Administration Building in Palatka, FL, which houses the Putnam County School District offices, is an historic Mission-style building dating back to the early 1900s. The original tile roof had been supplanted by shingles as the facility expanded over the years, and the County wanted to restore the building’s look as part of its overall refurbishment. According to CRG Architects/Palatka, Inc., the Palatka design and planning firm in charge of the project, a Met-Tile metal tile panel roof helped achieve those objectives.
Joseph Kuehmeier, design associate at CRG, reports: “We felt that a metal tile-facsimile roof would be the best choice for recreating the original tile-roof look while offering benefits of reduced weight, low maintenance and durability. In the interest both of safety and preservation, we did not want to place additional weight on this existing structure; and metal is lightweight compared to traditional tile. Although shingle products are also light and economical, they did not offer the desired look or longevity.”
CRG researched a variety of metal roofing products and selected Met-Tile because of its superior aesthetics and its ability to meet cost and performance requirements. They went to the local historic preservation board with a product sample to demonstrate how successfully it mimics the look of tile, along with data to show how the higher initial cost would be offset by lower maintenance and longer life – at least twice the life of shingles, and usually a Met-Tile roof can be repainted instead of replaced when the time comes. The preservation board approved the use of Met-Tile for the Campbell Administration Building.
The project uses about 17,600 square feet of the 26-gauge steel roofing panels in 3-ft width and lengths ranging from 3 ft. to 20 ft. The paint finish, an ENERGY STAR® cool roof SMP paint system manufactured by Becker Specialty Corp. in a Mission Clay color, helps to reflect away sunlight to keep building occupants cooler. The Met-Tile panels are designed to install vertically from eave to ridge and are secured with screw fasteners, creating a weather-tight system with a 230+ mph wind rating.
BBG Contracting Group, Inc. (Jacksonville), the roofing contractor, installed the Met-Tile roof over the existing roof deck and a new felt waterproof membrane.
According to CRG Architects, the refurbishment of the building also included replacement of the windows and repainting the stucco to bring back the structure to its original appearance.
Putnam Country is centrally located between Jacksonville, Gainesville, St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. The School District includes 12 elementary schools, six middle schools and three high schools.
Met-Tile roofing is a product of McElroy Metal.
Editor's Note: Top three photos on the left show the building after its renovation. The bottom shows how the building looked previously.