With each passing hurricane season, designers, builders, homeowners and business owners are constantly seeking ways to fortify structures to withstand the growing number and severity of these storms. With this year’s hurricane season upon us, we travel to the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, USVI, an island prone to hurricanes, to spotlight a resort that selected a metal roof design for its restoration after being destroyed by two back-to-back Category 5 storms in 2017.
After Hurricanes Irma and Maria ripped through the island, the former Bluebeard Beach Club, was left barely standing. They lost the roofs on all seven of its guestroom buildings with several smaller structures so badly damaged they needed to be demolished. According to an article in DesignandBuildwithMetal, “Club Wyndham, operators of the timeshare property, along with its homeowners association, decided to see the destruction as an opportunity to rebuild better and rebrand the development with a more upscale appearance.” The renamed Limetree Beach Club reopened just over two years ago with new amenities and upgraded metal roofs featuring Petersen’s PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus panels.
General contractor J. Benton Construction, based in St. Croix, put together a design-build team which included architects Silverberg Associates and roofing contractor Central Roofing based in Jackson, Miss. Comparing it to a total rehab project, the design team opted for a two-phased approach to the restoration effort, focusing on the guestroom buildings first, to get them weathertight. Then they took on the services buildings that all needed to be replaced – including a check-in facility, gym and pool lanai – relocating them on the property to maximize views and allow room for more expansion. This new construction also included an additional building for guestrooms designed with accessibility in mind.
In selecting the type of roof, Central Roofing opted to work with Petersen Aluminum, a partner familiar with the unique nuances of a Caribbean project. They opted to use their PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus panels specified in .032-gauge aluminum to better withstand the prevalent salt spray and in their signature blue finish to make the resort easy to spot, by land or by sea.
Photography: brianadamsphoto.com
Petersen’s TITE-LOC PLUS PANEL product features:
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- 35-year non-prorated finish warranty
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- Pencil ribs (stiffening beads) are available only by request
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- Maximum factory-produced panel length is 64’ (check w/factory for longer lengths)
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- Weathertightness warranty available
About Petersen
Petersen is an event sponsor and exhibitor at METALCON.
Petersen, a Carlisle company founded in 1965, manufactures PAC-CLAD architectural metal cladding systems in multiple gauges of steel and aluminum. PAC-CLAD products include hidden- and exposed-fastener wall panels, standing seam roof panels, flush- and reveal-joint wall panels, vented or solid soffit panels, perforated metal, coil and flat sheet, composite panels, column covers, plus fascia and coping. All are available in a Kynar-based 70% PVDF Fluropon coating in 46 standard colors and 16 wood grain finishes that include a 30-year finish warranty. Most colors meet LEED requirements and are rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council. Custom colors and weathertightness warranties are offered. BIM and CAD documents are available for most products.