Roofing maker Johns Manville Corp. is helping to complete a massive, high-profile project — the new Denver Broncos football stadium, scheduled for play this August.
The roofing and building products manufacturer is providing nearly 200,000 square feet of its ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and PVC roofing membranes for the stadium. But most of the 175 individual roofs using UltraGard-brand EPDM membranes won't be seen: They are located underneath bleachers and over restrooms, concessions stands and concourses, said Richard Ramirez, Johns Manville senior technical representative for the job.
The PVC membranes are being used for all exposed roofs, he said.
Johns Manville's portion of the project — which en masse amounts to a roofing job the size of a large Wal-Mart store — began last spring and should end sometime in April, Ramirez said.
The Denver company has provided roofing materials for several stadium projects, including Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Comerica Park in Detroit, Safeco Field in Seattle and Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. But working on the hometown football stadium for the Broncos is extra special, Ramirez said.
"In this town, when you say `Broncos,' it's a real password," he said. "To be involved in their stadium is a thrill. It's something I can tell my grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
The roofing assignment has been a complicated one for Johns Manville and the contractor selected, CEI Roofing Co. Inc., also of Denver. In addition to the huge number of individual roofs, those roofs are located at different levels, which makes moving materials around a big job, Ramirez said.
Johns Manville also had to change to mechanical fasteners from adhesives when the EPDM membranes were being laid because fumes inside the stadium became too great.
"It was 140§ F when the weather got hot," Ramirez said. "We had to make a change for safety reasons."
Still, there is one more thing about the new field, which is being erected right next to old Mile High Stadium, that he'd like to change.
"They're going to call the new place Invesco Stadium," he said. "No one likes it. I wish they would have kept `Mile High' in the name."
