Elementary School Roof Scores an A+ For Sustainability

Bishop Elementary School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, welcomes over 400 students each year. So to maintain a high-performance learning environment for students, administration must invest in high-performance solutions for the facility.

The school’s current roof, manufactured out of vinyl by Duro-Last®, Inc., had been in use for decades, but it had reached the end of its useful lifecycle and was due for a replacement. Vinyl’s durability was proven, as the roof had stood up well to the harsh Michigan winters, so the school didn’t hesitate to request another Duro-Last system to replace it and put the project out to bid, but with a specific request – the contractor needed to recycle the existing roof.

As Superior Services RSH, Inc., of Lansing, Michigan, wrote in their winning bid, recycling the roof provided a two-fold benefit: the ability for the school to not only reduce their environmental impact, but also save money.

“When we proposed this option to the administration and highlighted that not only would they save money in disposal fees, but that they could help also reduce their environmental impact, they were excited to participate,” said Superior Services Vice President Derek Heins.

The process of recycling the roof was simple. Superior Services rolled up the existing roofing materials, strapped it to pallets, and shipped it to a Duro-Last facility. From there, Oscoda Plastics®, Inc., sister company to Duro-Last, took care of recycling the membrane into resilient flooring, concrete expansion joints, and rooftop walkway pads. By recycling the existing roof, more than 8,700 pounds of PVC material was diverted from landfill.

In the meantime, Superior Services got to work replacing the roof with 50 mil Duro-Tuff® membrane that was mechanically attached over the existing insulation, which was still in good condition. With a crew of 8, the project was completed in about two weeks, and at its finish, the school was presented with a 20-Year-Warranty from Duro-Last.

“The Superior Services team did a phenomenal job on this project, meticulously removing the existing membrane to ensure every bit of material could be recycled,” said Duro-Last’s Sustainability team. “We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for this project, and it’s always rewarding to see the positive environmental impact that can be made by the thoughtful efforts of contractors like Superior Services.”