Every fall, southern California residents brace themselves for the annual Santa Ana winds that blow through the region. The strong, extremely dry offshore winds typically sustain 40 miles per hour with gusts exceeding 70 mph. In 2011, the Santa Ana windstorm was the worst southern California had seen in more than a decade with wind gusts as high as 100 mph.
The storm uprooted trees, downed power lines, and left the city of Pasadena, California in a state of emergency. The uncharacteristically strong storm also ripped the metal roof off the First Church of Nazarene of Pasadena, leaving crumpled and twisted metal panels strewn all over the church’s Pasadena campus. The church’s original roof, which was about 30 years old, had been leaking for several years and had already been suffering from wind uplift prior to the storm due to fastener failure.
After the windstorm passed and the damaged metal panels were removed, Scott Anderson, the church’s executive pastor, immediately began looking into roof replacement options. Familiar with The Garland Company, Inc., Anderson contacted local representative, Sean Magee, who had facilitated roofing repairs earlier that year, to survey the roof and provide recommendations for a roof replacement. Aware of the problems the church experienced with its previous roof and of the high winds possible in the region, Magee recommended the industry’s strongest standing seam metal roof system to guarantee watertight and windstorm protection. In addition to finding a solution with the necessary strength and durability, Magee was also challenged with finding a metal system that preserved the aesthetic value of the church, which sits against the beautiful backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Magee, in collaboration with Garland engineering, recommended metal for the roof replacement as a high-performance material that provides the strength, durability and functional diversity to accommodate the various changes in plane on the church’s 55,000 square-foot roof. The eight-sided roof features 24-gauge, 18-inch wide steel R-Mer® Span structural standing seam panels that provide the industry’s highest wind uplift rating, guaranteeing protection against the fierce Santa Ana winds. The panels feature an isolated sealant design that protects the sealant from abrasion and shear forces, allowing the structure to retain the highest integrity against air and water infiltration.
The PVDF copper penny steel panels, varying in length from 1 foot to 106 feet, were roll formed on site to provide continuous panels, guaranteeing leak-free performance. Because the church’s wooden deck was not true to plane, 16-gauge hat channels were used in various locations throughout the roof to ensure the roof panels lay evenly. The deck also dictated the roof design with panels sloping upward to the penthouse-style walls, which extended 40 feet from the roof deck. Panels were installed vertically on the penthouse-style walls.
This high-performance metal roofing solution was provided by a single, full-service manufacturer and is covered by a 30-year no dollar limit leak warranty.
The contractor for this reroof project was Western States Roofing Systems, Inc. of Northridge, California.
The bottom photo shows the wind-damaged roof, prior to its replacement with the Garland standing seam roof system.