By Ray Makiejus

The stakes of roof failure are high for any building. This is especially true of educational buildings, where the price of failure can result in significant disruption to students’ education.

For the University of Notre Dame—one of the nation’s most respected campuses and home to more than 4 million square feet of low-slope roofing across its many facilities—failure is simply not an option. It’s why the school’s facility management team made a critical decision regarding roofing standards across the entire campus. That decision is paying dividends today, helping ensure greater roof longevity and reliability.

“We couldn’t afford to replace roofs every 20 years or so,” said Tony Polotto, Senior Director of Construction and Quality Assurance. “We needed a solution that could go the distance.”

Indeed, several years ago, Notre Dame faced a challenge similar to that of many other facilities around the world: roof systems that could not deliver reliable performance beyond 20 years. As cracks, leaks, and premature failures drove up costs and disrupted campus operations, Polotto was tasked with vetting higher-performing systems that could eliminate these problems.

“My boss basically said, ‘Go find me a roof that’s been on a building for more than 20 years and is still performing,’” Polotto said. “That was the mandate.”

To meet the requirements, Polotto and his team identified ketone ethylene ester (KEE)-based roof systems as a potential solution. In practice, this type of roof material has delivered returns for the organization years later.

Evaluating Common Material Performance

Low-slope commercial roofs—whether on an educational facility, industrial plant, hospital, or any other type of structure—typically use one of four types of single-ply membranes:

• Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)
• Ketone ethylene ester (KEE)

TPO has become the most widely installed membrane in the United States due to its low purchase cost, common installation practices and broad familiarity among commercial roofing contractors. Both TPO and EPDM offer similar upfront cost advantages compared to PVC and KEE roofs. However, initial savings do not necessarily equal long-term value or protection.

For example, KEE-based membranes—specifically those meeting American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards—are recognized for providing exceptional puncture and weathering compared to TPO or EPDM. This is because ASTM-compliant KEE membranes contain a dense fiber reinforcement layer as part of their construction, where other common membranes do not. Such construction advantages enable KEE membranes to deliver performance benefits while consuming fewer raw materials (one 36-mil membrane is recognized as an alternative to most 60-mil membranes).

These attributes can make a significant difference over the course of a roof system’s anticipated service life, resulting in greater resistance to common modes of failure. In the case of a severe storm, for example, a KEE membrane could be more likely to resist puncture and impact from flying debris or foreign objects that may impact the roof.

Notre Dame Discovers the KEE Difference

Polotto’s team started with research, first to identify potential solutions and then to learn how they were produced and how they performed in the field. The team obtained samples and consulted with multiple manufacturers, including one that produces a KEE-based membrane.

“We saw how it was built, and the difference in the scrim and material was obvious,” Polotto said, noting the variances between KEE and other common materials. “You can see and feel the contrast in the fabric. It’s clear that it’s built to withstand the stresses of foot traffic, weathering and puncture.”

Furthermore, KEE has also established itself within the industry as a high-performance option proven to deliver excellent longevity and service life. Some KEE roof systems have performed for more than 40 years, and it was this kind of demonstrated track record that Notre Dame needed to move forward.

Creating a New Standard for Performance

The first KEE installation on the Notre Dame campus was in 2005, and the difference became clear quickly. The KEE system included a FiberTite® membrane from Seaman Corporation, which has demonstrated consistent performance since that time, and was adopted as the campus standard for low-slope roofing.

Twenty years later, the university has installed approximately 2 million square feet of KEE membrane and has not experienced any system failure. Maintenance has been minimal, limited to routine activities.

“Our roof systems are no longer a worry,” Polotto said. “We’ve seen the proof for ourselves, and there’s no looking back. It’s no surprise that Notre Dame is a big fan.”

For Notre Dame, KEE membranes represented a small increase in upfront investment compared to common alternatives. However, that investment paid off—the university has saved millions by avoiding 20-year replacement cycles. By investing in proven performance, the university has avoided disruptive replacements, doubled the service life of its roofs, and gained greater control over budgets.

“For us, the numbers tell the story,” Polotto said. “No failures in 20 years, and a system capable of lasting twice as long as the alternatives. The life cycle savings are clear.”

For educational facility managers everywhere, an investigation into higher-performance roof systems can make a real difference. From smaller local school districts to major campuses like Notre Dame, proven longevity, minimized repair and replacement costs, and reliable operation can lead to significant operational benefits.

Ray Makiejus is the FiberTite® Roof Systems Midwest Regional Manager with Seaman Corporation. He has more than 20 years of experience in building envelope consulting to support architects, consultants and owners.

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame has been exemplary with its commitment to follow LEED standards for all new construction since 2011. Its most recent success in this area includes LEED Gold certification for new construction for its two new residence halls: Flaherty Hall and Dunne Hall.

Notre Dame adopted a sustainable buildings policy in 2011 that requires all new construction to be up to LEED standards. Since the implementation of this policy — and since the two new recent LEED Gold certifications — Notre Dame’s LEED Gold–certified buildings count has risen to eight. The other LEED Gold certified buildings on Notre Dame’s campus include Stinson-Remick Hall, the Purcell Pavilion, Geddes Hall, Ryan Hall, the renovation of the Morris Inn and Carole Sander Hall. Additionally, the campus is currently in the process of seeking three more LEED Silver certifications in addition to the existing three already on campus.

Flaherty Hall is a 226-bed residence for women, and Dunne Hall is a 221-bed residence for men. Both buildings opened in 2016, and were certified LEED Gold in December 2017. Designs for both buildings were carefully planned to incorporate methods for saving energy, water and other resources and generating less waste in both the construction and operation of the facilities, according to an article from .

The efforts of the design team and the university did not go to waste, as the two newly certified residence halls currently consume 28 percent less energy for heating and cooling compared to other newly constructed buildings, according to . Some of the many methods used to save energy and other resources with these two new residence halls included the installation of high-efficiency faucets, shower heads and toilets, which have already enabled both residence halls to greatly reduce the amount water used. Current numbers show Flaherty Hall using 45 percent less water than a similar new building, and Dunne Hall takes it a bit further by using 51 percent less water.

Other efforts that helped to win these residence halls their LEED Gold status included the minimization of waste as much as possible during construction. In addition, the use of reused materials as much as possible was an important effort. Additionally, 33 percent of materials for both buildings was sourced locally, while some consisted of more than 20 percent of recycled content. All materials, such as paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, flooring systems and agrifiber products were certified as low-emitting.

From all of its efforts to become greener, Notre Dame has accomplished a 96 percent diversion rate for all construction project waste, according to the . In addition, 95 percent of building space uses efficient, non-LED lighting (such as CFLs), and 40 percent of Notre Dame’s outdoor space uses highly efficient LED lighting.

In addition to Notre Dame’s efforts to build sustainable and LEED-certified buildings, the university is committed to waste reduction on campus. Waste reduction initiatives on campus fall into two categories: reducing resource use and recycling. Recycling is coordinated through warehouse and delivery services and is supported by educational programs through the Office of Sustainability.

Additionally, the Office of Sustainability works with academic and administrative departments throughout the campus to find ways to reduce the unnecessary use of materials. The office takes individual choices such as recycling, double-sided printing, reusing furniture and switching to paperless forms of communication seriously, and is another part of how the university is able to make great strides in the area of sustainability for the campus and the school as a whole.

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