2019 Gold Circle Award Winner: Mahan Slate Roofing

By Lauren White.

Historic Dartmouth library tower fully renovated on short timeline.

There are a number of projects in the roofing industry that allow companies to demonstrate their excellence and expertise.  The Roofing Alliance recognizes that excellence and expertise in  workmanship, innovation, and safety with their Gold Circle Awards program.  This elite awards program recognizes Roofing Alliance and National Roofing Contractors Alliance (NRCA) members for their contributions to the roofing industry.

Mahan Slate Roofing expertly renovated the Baker Library Tower at Dartmouth College, a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. This project was completed in only five months, all while the library maintained normal occupancy and day-to-day activities.  Mahan, out of Springfield, Massachusetts received a Gold Circle Award for their Outstanding Workmanship on the library. 

The renovation began in June 2016 and was completed in November of 2016.  Robert Fulmer, Design Consultant and Project Manager has worked with Mahan Roofing before and commended their craftsmanship and creativity with their work. 

Mahan had a lot to accomplish in the five month project window.  Robert explains the extent of the work, which included, “...staging the entire 185’ Bell Tower, complete restoration of the copper weathervane, replication of the railings, louvers, architectural and ornamental copper details, and installing batten seam copper roofing, standing seam copper roofing, flat lock copper roofing, and Sarnafil flat roofing.”

An engineer’s stamp was needed when they went to erect the scaffolding.  This was due to the “...height, complexity of the design and wind loads that would be applied, due to the scrim,” according to Robert.  The scrim, a strong and coarse material, had a printed image of the bell tower to cover up the scaffolding and construction work, and to diminish the disruption on campus.

Originally opened in 1928, the Baker Library is a historic building which meant each copper profile needed to be matched exactly, and the pattern of the seams were documented.  “All of the architectural copper work was removed from the Bell Tower and brought back to Mahan’s sheet metal shop where it was replicated,” Robert shares.  Then it was all transported back to the library and reinstalled on the tower.

Mahan detailed the breakdown of the various copper parts that were necessary to complete this project.  They included: “80 squares of batten seam copper, 30 squares of flat seam copper, 40 squares of standing seam copper, 100 squares of architectural copper, 70 squares of Sarnafil, 100 custom copper spun balusters,” according to the project description on their nomination.

Additionally, all of the railings were fabricated in Mahan’s shop.  They were then delivered to the site where they were painted and then craned to the top of the tower.  “Dartmouth College was adamant about repairing the weathervane versus replacing it due to its historic value,” Robert explains.  Mahan complied and was able to repair and restore the weathervane to its original design. 

Fabricating intricate copper work, a tight deadline, and restoring the building and weathervane to their original glory, the Baker Library Tower renovation was completed on time and on budget.  “For the amount of work that needed to be completed, this was an extremely tight timeframe from crane schedules to materials being ordered and brought to site.  Everyone involved did an outstanding job with coordination and communication,” Robert reflects.  Mahan’s quality and creativity, in addition to their cooperation and dependability went above and beyond.  Dartmouth was pleased with the quality of the work Mahan completed.

The Roofing Alliance’s  2020 Gold Circle Awards program is now open and accepting nominations.  The deadline for entries is October 18, 2019.  The details and the applicationform  can be found at http://roofingalliance.net/gold-circle-awards-program/.

For more information on the Gold Circle awards program plus information about the Roofing Alliance contact Bennett Judson, the Roofing Alliance’s executive director, at bjudson@roofingalliance.net or visit www.roofingalliance.net.

About the Roofing Alliance

The Roofing Alliance is committed to shaping the industry’s future by funding education, research, scholarships and philanthropic initiatives, all for the purpose of securing the industry’s future excellence.  Composed of 169 members representing extraordinary leaders from the contracting, manufacturing, distribution and service provider communities, the Roofing Alliance has committed over $13 million to enhance the performance and long-term viability of the industry and allocated more than $5 million to fund 48 research, education, technical and philanthropic programs and projects.  Serving as the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), Roofing Alliance members are focused on giving back and supporting high-quality educational programs and ensuring timely and forward-thinking industry responses to major economic and technological issues.

For more information about Roofing Alliance initiatives, visit www.roofingalliance.net.