Project Profiles: Historic Renovation

Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Team

SHEET-METAL CONTRACTOR: Gilbert & Becker Co. Inc., Dorchester, Mass.
ARCHITECT: Perry and Radford Architects, Cambridge
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Consigli Construction Co. Inc., Milford, Mass.

The museum roofing project was a massive undertaking, requiring the duplication of the existing copper roof—the bulk of which consisted of copper panels with vertical batten seams and horizontal flat seams.

The museum roofing project was a massive undertaking, requiring the duplication of the existing copper roof—the bulk of which consisted of copper panels with vertical batten seams and horizontal flat seams.

Roof Materials

The thickness of the copper panels, fasteners for the copper and wood battens, and the clip thickness and spacing were all factors that had to be engineered. Most of the new roofing material is 20-ounce copper. There are nearly 10,000 panels with an exposure of approximately 12 by 42 inches, matching the existing historical layout.

Because of the roof’s low slope, horizontal hook strips needed to be fully soldered to each panel with significant headlap. Altogether, Consigli Construction soldered nearly 6.6 miles of hook strip. Counting the hidden hook strips, headlap, locked seams and batten caps, more than 70,000 square feet of copper was used to cover the 34,000-square-foot roof area.

Not only was the installation demanding in the field, but fabrication of the 10,000 panels in the shop was also a challenge. Consigli Construction took standard sheet-metal brakes, notchers and shears and customized them for this job. Each machine performed one function, and the company created an assembly line of cutting, notching, folding, bending and soldering that moved at a quick enough pace to keep up with the crew of 18 installers at the job site.

In addition to the panels, the contractor installed all-new replicated gutters, downspouts, parapets, chimneys and ventilators for a complete roof system.

COPPER MANUFACTURER: Revere Copper Products Inc.

Roof Report

The museum roofing project was a massive undertaking, requiring the duplication of the existing copper roof—the bulk of which consisted of copper panels with vertical batten seams and horizontal flat seams. The new roof system had to also meet requirements set by FM Approvals, Norwood, Mass.

PHOTO: Alex Alpert

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