SLIDESHOW

Slideshow: Concourse E at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

The aging roof of Concourse E at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had been damaged by hail and needed replacing. This slideshow walks you through some of the re-roofing work completed during one month — May 2017 — of the 16-17 month re-roofing project.

Sentry has had a successful working relationship with the airport for more than 20 years and has experience in meeting the logistical demands of projects like this. We are very pleased to have won the competitive bid for this project. Please click through these photos and check back soon for more photos and information about the entire project.

Swipe through the slides to see what we did (turn mobile device sideways for best viewing):

1.
This is the west wing of the concourse — one of 75 different roof sections that comprise Concourse E — and part of the final phase of the project.
2.
There’s no slowing down Atlanta’s airport. Our employees work safely in its high-traffic environment with flights coming and going as we complete our work. All of our operators are trained and certified to operate lifts like the one you see here.
3.
Kitchen exhaust fans in this area will get G2 Grease Guards and sacrificial membrane to protect the new roof system from prolonged exposure to cooking oil/grease, which can degrade the TPO membrane over time. There are dozens of other HVAC units, exhaust fans, and other mechanical equipment on the roof that we must work around and detail per manufacturer specifications.
4.
Here the technician is carefully cutting insulation using a reciprocating saw so he gets an exact fit. The technician in the orange vest, one of our foremen, is holding a dual component adhesive applicator that’s used for dispensing low rise foam insulation adhesive in smaller or tighter areas with precision.
5.
Our technician is creating a sump, which is a defined area of roof with increased slope at the drainage point that helps to ensure positive drainage. Our team members are experienced craftsmen in multiple roof system installations, all of which can be designed to ensure positive drainage of water off of the roof asset.
6.
Preparing the roof membrane to install an expansion joint that will provide a watertight fit. Expansion joints relieve stress on roofing materials caused by thermal expansion or contraction due to temperature changes, building sway due to wind, seismic events, and other factors that cause building movement.
7.
Cleaning, welding, and probing the wall flashing ensures a watertight roofing system. If there is any gap in the flashing, then you’re going to have a leak. Single ply membranes must be clean prior to welding in order to prevent contamination in the weld.
8.
Here one of our team members is installing a restored clamping ring. Clamping rings are an important part of the roof drain because they keep the membrane in place and water tight at the drainage point. All of the existing drain rings and domes were restored and painted red to visually identify the roof drains and protect them from corrosion.
9.
You bet we work at night — and around the clock if needed. This photo is from earlier in the month and shows our technician removing old insulation from the roof of a concourse gateway. Sentry was able to repurpose approximately one million square feet of used insulation that we removed from Concourse E and keep it out of landfills by working with a recycling company. We palletized the reusable panels and they were made available to contractors around the country.
10.
Here our crews are installing a second layer of new insulation. Sentry was able to repurpose approximately one million square feet of used insulation that we removed from Concourse E and keep it out of landfills by working with a recycling company. Since we couldn’t reuse the insulation on this job site, we palletized the reusable panels and they were made available to contractors around the country.
11.
What’s the best way to get material deliveries at night? By owning a semi-tractor trailer and doing it ourselves, of course. Our semi operators travel back and forth from the distributor to the job site to assure a just-in-time material delivery system. This eliminates questions of how and when our material will arrive for each phase of the job and keeps us on schedule every day.
12.
The area around the water cooling tower on the roof of Concourse E is constantly saturated with water (a byproduct of the cooling function) so our crews had to use creative tools and tactics to dry the roof and successfully install the new roof.
13.
You can see a technician with a squeegee underneath the water-cooling tower — we also used heaters to dry the areas we were working on. When possible, we scheduled work at the times of day when the water-cooling tower was not active.
14.
This section under the water cooling tower is a tight fit for our crews but we have worked in much tighter spaces than this!
15.
Our technicians are installing the TPO membrane…
16.
…and our sheet metal workers installing the sheet metal trim at the perimeter known as the coping cap.
17.
This is a quarter barrel roof at the west wing — with beautiful views on a day with great weather.
18.
This is another section of Concourse E, where our technicians are finishing up some additional detail work. You can see a few areas where dust has settled into the lower areas of the roof, which is normal and occurs with rainfall.
19.
Our employees are required to wear proper PPE (personal protective equipment) at all times while on the roof. The textured walk pads shown here are used to protect the roof from damage in high traffic areas and around rooftop mechanical equipment. Walk pads are a maintenance item and are not included in the manufacturer warranty.
20.
Concourse E from the inside. Of course, the early morning travels have no idea our crews are working overhead.