Courtyard Waterproofing at the
H.H. Dow Leadership Academy
Midland, Michigan
Loose-laid system
Installed under the membrane, tested in each area
Waterproofing category
Why It Had to Be Right the First Time
The H.H. Dow Leadership Academy sits inside The H Hotel in Midland. Its courtyard is built on a concrete deck over the garage, and water coming through that deck was dripping into the garage below, where gutters had been hung to catch it. The owners decided to replace the courtyard waterproofing as part of the hotel's extensive renovations and additions.
Once finished, the waterproofing would sit under insulation, four large circular planters and decorative brick pavers. Reaching it later for a repair would mean taking the courtyard apart, so the installation had one chance to be done right.
The project team
Owners: Dow Chemical Company and Acquest Development, Inc. Construction manager: The Christman Company, Lansing. Waterproofing contractor: Bloom Roofing Systems.
Why a membrane
The owners compared fluid-applied hot tar and spray-applied systems before selecting the Sika Sarnafil membrane. The construction manager also needed one system that could go onto the new construction and replace the leaking one.
Built in Layers, Tested Before It Was Covered
Each layer had a job, and the leak-detection layer was proven in every area before anything went on top of it.
4 inches
Carried to the drains with tapered insulation.
- 01
Tapered insulation to every drain
A full tapered insulation system sloped each area toward its drain, including the places where the floor stepped up four inches.
- 02
Leak detection, tested area by area
A foil-faced Electric Field Vector Mapping (EFVM) sheet went down under the membrane. Its low-voltage circuitry monitors for leaks and locates them. It was activated and tested in each area.
- 03
Protection layer
An NWP protection layer went over the leak-detection sheet.
- 04
80-mil Sarnafil G476 membrane
The loose-laid membrane covered the deck and was flashed at the brick walls and around the planters.
- 05
Drainage mat, then fill
A drainage mat went down before the bulk fill material, ready for the courtyard finishes above.
The Hard Parts
Flashing behind the brick
The existing flashings had not been terminated properly and covered only the middle portion of the brick walls. When Tom Bloom saw that, his call was to take the brick out and flash behind it. The mason could remove brick and mortar only in sections, or the wall would come down, so Bloom flashed behind each opening before the mason reset it and moved to the next section.
Mortar in a Michigan winter
The work ran through what Bloom's project lead called one of Michigan's harshest winters. The brick had to be warm for the mortar to cure, and The Christman Company built poly tents to keep the work warm.
Level changes and off-center drains
Floor levels stepped up as much as four inches in places, so the tapered system had to carry water to the drains across every change. The larger round planters were harder still, because their drains were not in the middle.
A working hotel and academy
Some days the crew could not work because of functions at the facility. Noisy work was scheduled for times without classes or events, and a wedding booked soon after the completion date made the finish date firm.
From Bare Deck to Finished Courtyard
What the Project Team Said
“This is one of the most detailed and tedious waterproofing jobs we've ever done. Bloom Roofing had the right talent and did an outstanding job.”
“Bloom Roofing went above and beyond in this challenging application.”
The Documented Outcome
Bloom earned First Place in the Waterproofing category of Sika Sarnafil's Project of the Year.
In Sika's follow-up, John Lowry reported that the system was performing well. The only leak he described was caused by a drain malfunction, and the EFVM system identified it easily. That is the value of building leak detection in: a problem under a finished courtyard can be located instead of searched for.
What this means for your building
Plaza decks, courtyards, planters and green areas over occupied space bury their waterproofing for the life of the finishes. The terminations, the slope to each drain and the ability to find a leak later all have to be settled before anything covers them.
Related: Sika Sarnafil's project profile · Institutional and government work · Our services · More case studies · commercial roofing in Flint and Saginaw
Waterproofing That Will Be
Covered for Good?
When pavers, planters or a building finish will sit on top of the waterproofing, the details only get one chance. Tell us what goes on top and what is underneath, and we will start from the conditions.