Keeping Water in All the ‘Right’ Places

Located at Inner Harbor, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the Baltimore Aquarium is considered one of Maryland’s premier tourist attractions. Recently, Carlisle SynTec Incorporated, Carlisle, PA, was asked to provide reroofing solutions for this landmark.Plagued with a leaky roof that was literally falling apart at the seams, the Baltimore Aquarium needed a system that could withstand the harbor’s harsh winds and weather conditions while complementing the building’s unique architecture and design. Carlisle’s FleeceBACK™/FAST™ Roofing System was chosen for the job. FleeceBACK is comprised of EPDM membrane laminated to fleece backing and offers the weatherability and system performance needed for this environment. When used with Carlisle’s patented, VOC-free FAST Adhesive, notes Mike Gaulin of Mango Inc., the Carlisle Authorized Applicator that completed the reroofing, “The FleeceBACK system is extremely user-friendly. We had to work while the aquarium was in operation and FleeceBACK made it easy for us to complete the job without disruptions. It’s a non-penetrating application and ideal for noise-sensitive installations.”In reroofing a 20,000-square-foot portion of the aquarium, workers completely tore off the existing roof to expose the concrete deck. Carlisle polyisocynaurate insulation was adhered to the deck with spray-applied FAST Adhesive. FAST Adhesive was then applied to the insulation and the FleeceBACK membrane was rolled into the wet adhesive. Adjoining sheets were spliced together with Carlisle’s SecurTAPE™. The finished product is an impermeable installation that will keep water in all the right places.“This system,” notes Ron Goodman, Carlisle’s FleeceBACK product spokesperson, “can achieve wind uplift ratings of up to FM 1-990 and is compatible with most deck types.”