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A New Tradition Rises In The Heart Of The Old Dominion
The flexible 625,000 square-foot facility blends contemporary urban design with sensitivity to adjacent historic neighborhoods. Spanning five city blocks, the Convention Center will comprise 180,000 square feet of exhibit space, which can be subdivided into as many as four separate spaces; 32 meeting rooms totaling 50,000 square feet; and a 30,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom overlooking Broad Street. Also included are complete "back-of-house" facilities with over 20 dedicated truck booths, separate service corridors to all of the meeting rooms and exhibit halls, a full banquet kitchen with remote pantries, and an enclosed skywalk that connects to one of the city's largest hotels. In developing the design for the new facility, the project’s lead architects, Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates of Atlanta, incorporated a portion of the existing Richmond Center convention hall. "Though it’s only about 16 years old, the existing convention center did not readily lend itself to growth," explains Nick Wolfcale, an Associate Principal with Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates of Atlanta. "The new building will essentially wrap around the old structure and become part of the main exhibit hall."
ACUltra™ was introduced in 1998 following four years of extensive testing and research. ACFoam®-II is one of several polyisocyanurate (polyiso) insulation products for commercial applications produced using Atlas’ breakthrough ACUltra™, HCFC-free technology. Unlike other types of foam insulation manufactured using hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which have been found to deplete the earth’s fragile ozone layer, ACUltra utilizes a patented hydrocarbon (HC) blowing formulation that has zero ozone depletion potential and zero global warming potential. Test installations have consistently demonstrated that ACUltra™ technology provides equal or better facer adhesion and fire rating performance. The uniquely slow, optimal heat transfer results from ACUltra’s polyiso closed cells for substantially higher R-values per inch than other available foam insulation products. Joseph W. Blanks, Jr., Vice President of Roof Systems of Virginia, Inc., the roofing contractor for the Greater Richmond Convention Center, is pleased to be working with such a high-quality, environmentally compatible insulation material. "We’re glad the architects specified Atlas because we too are proponents of environmentally-sound roofing products," Joey Blanks says. "It’s a perfect fit for what we wanted to do here." Plans call for the $125 million Convention Center to be constructed in four phases, beginning with a central plant to house the facility’s heating, cooling, and other building systems. Next will come the multi-level building that will house the Grand Ballroom and meeting rooms, followed by the construction of the Main Exhibit Hall around the existing Richmond Center. Though the scope and size of each phase varies, all utilize the same roofing design. The metal deck is first covered by 5/8-inch thick loose-laid panels of Georgia Pacific Dens-Deck gypsum roof board. Next come two layers of three-inch Atlas ACFoam®-II insulation panels, topped off by loose-laid sheets of Carlisle .060 reinforced EPDM membrane. Finally, the roof is ballasted with #3 stone from West Sand & Gravel of Stony Creek, Va. The lower canopy areas of the Main Exhibit hall will be configured somewhat differently. "Here, we’ll apply the Carlisle ballasted EPDM with a three-inch layer of Atlas polyiso, topped by decorative Hanover Pedestal Pavers," Joey Blanks says. "All told, the entire roof of the Convention Center covers 480,000 square feet." The Jewel In The Crown
Joey Blanks adds that another advantage of Atlas insulation products is that the panels come in double-wrapped packaging, which helps keep moisture out, especially in conjunction with recommended tarpaulins. "By the time this job is done, we will have placed 960,000 square feet of polyiso insulation," he says. "Knowing that the material is dry and of good quality really helps speed the assembly work along." Perhaps the most important benefit to Roof Systems of Virginia, Inc and its crews is the consistent level of support provided by Harvey Sorum, Atlas’ Central Virginia Marketing Representative. "We always get great service from Harvey," Joey Blanks says. "He makes sure everything is there when we need it, and regularly stops by the job site to check up on the project." Construction work on the Greater Richmond Convention Center will continue for the next two years with a grand opening slated for late 2002. Local officials are eagerly anticipating the opening of their state-of-the-art facility, which will elevate Richmond to the upper tier of convention city destinations. The Greater Richmond Convention Center is truly a new symbol of pride and progress for both the metropolitan area and the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. And, because the design team elected to use Atlas Roofing Corporation’s HCFC-free ACFoam®-II insulation, the earth is a little healthier in the process.
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Project Information Project: Related Products
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Metropolitan Richmond, VA, consistently ranks among the nation's best places to live and visit, and for good reason. Here, the down-home hospitality traditions of the Old South meld with the high-tech dynamism of the 21st Century, creating an environment that is at once cordial and innovative. The latest example of this unique synergy is the new Greater Richmond Convention Center, currently under construction in the capital city’s downtown.
When it came to specifying the roofing system, the project’s associate architect, SMBW of Richmond, elected to top the facility with a landmark insulation material, ACFoam®-II with ACUltra™, HCFC free technology, from Atlas Roofing Corporation.
New Year’s Eve 2000 marked the unofficial halfway point of construction for Roof Systems of Virginia, Inc, with work completed on both the Central Plant and Ballroom building. So far, Joey Blanks has been pleased with how the project has progressed. "Everything has gone well particularly with the insulation installation," he says, adding that from the contractor’s perspective, there’s little difference between previous Atlas products and the ACUltra™ panels. "Polyiso is polyiso as far as texture and feel goes," he says.
"Even if there were other brands of HCFC-free insulation available, we’d still use Atlas Roofing," states Joey Blanks. "Regardless of the product or the application, we always know that the insulation and service will be first-rate."