Frank J. Lausche Building

The View: Frank J. Lausche Building

A Unique Roof Removal and Replacement Project

When it comes to unique architecture in Cleveland, you could say that the Frank J. Lausche State Office Building has the market cornered. This seven-sided building is one of the most unique on the Cleveland landscape, and sculptor Tony Smith’s masterpiece “Last” stands guard in front of the building. Knowing the unique design of the building, it only makes sense that the roof would require a very special roofing system upon replacement.

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The Job

Commercial Roof Replacement

Warren Roofing® was hired to replace the roof, add plumbing drains, install tie-off anchors, and erect a buck hoist on the site of the building to help with the construction process on the roof. This project would involve a complex team effort. The building had a ten-foot-wide sidewalk around its perimeter, which required extensive coordination to complete. To move debris and transport supplies, a buck hoist was erected as a construction elevator. Securing a permit to close the sidewalk took months. Pioneer Glazing removed five giant glass windows to facilitate the buck hoist construction, and Forest City Erectors built the hoist. Cleveland Building Restoration handled the sidewalk demolition, and debris was transported using carts and dump bins via the buck hoist.

The Challenge

Moving 720K Pounds of Concrete

In addition to the challenge of putting on a unique inverted roof, this rooftop required 9,000 concrete pavers that weighed 80 pounds each to be placed on the rooftop. For those counting, that’s 720,000 pounds of concrete on the rooftop. Since a tow-motor can’t make its way to the rooftop, these pavers had to be moved with the help of some roofing carts. This was all done so that a swing stage the building owns for cleaning windows could be moved across the roof without causing damage.

The Team

Commercial Roofing Crew

Project Manager: Nate Arp

The Crew: At any given time, there were ten Warren Roofing® crew members working on this project

The Status: This project started in June of 2018 and was completed in June of 2019

The Process

Roof System Removal and Replacement

Once the sidewalk was finally cleared, the old rooftop membrane was removed. The large roof included four smaller courtyards, each needing membrane removal. A Smith Roofing Hoist was used to transport debris from lower roofs to the highest one, where it was lowered through the buck hoist. The new roofing system featured an inverted SOPREMA membrane: waterproofing first, followed by insulation. This approach protected the waterproofing layer from the paver’s weight. Three roofing layers were applied, topped with Blue Board Insulation and ballast to support the pavers.

The final phase involved placing the pavers. They were meticulously cut and washed with a high-powered hose in harsh Cleveland winter conditions, often dealing with freezing hoses. The pavers were manually placed on the roof, four to six at a time, as no machine could handle this precise task.

The Results

A Successful Commercial Roof Replacement

The team at Warren Roofing® gets to work on many unique rooftops around the city, but the inverted roof, and the heavy pavers that lined the roof, made this job particularly challenging. It was nothing the Warren team couldn’t handle. The cold conditions couldn’t stop the team from getting those pavers in place. And, for the next 25 years, this rooftop has a warranty that it will be leak- and damage-free. With proper maintenance, this building will be safe and sound for years to come!