Ridley Marina’s impressive copper penny roof stands out. And it almost never was. One of the last remaining open space areas in Ridley Township, Pa was slated for townhome development. But the board of commissioners had other ideas for this piece of real estate. Its perfect location near the Delaware River made it an ideal spot for establishing a recreational area. The township went all out and built a marina, added marina offices and made various other improvements to the area over the years, including leasing a space for a new restaurant called Stinger’s Waterfront.
Considering all of the drastic changes the area underwent, the marina offices and restaurant had to be the standouts. The striking stone façade of the building is complemented by a unique aesthetic feature – the roof. The project architect, Clarice Jones, of Catania Engineering Associates, selected Peterson’s PAC-CLAD Snap-Clad metal roof profile in the Copper Penny hue after the General Contractor suggested a different product than was originally specified on the plans. The Ridley Marina building was an expansive 10,500 sq. ft. span. Added to this were 1,500 sq. ft. of vented PAC-750 Soffit Panels.
The architect felt that installing anything but a metal roof would make the building appear too residential. But the idea for the distinctive roof color choice actually came from the town’s business manager. Jones had originally selected a neutral gray shade.
After winning the project, J.S. McManus Inc. of Chester Heights, PA, needed to complete the building construction on a pretty tight schedule. Michael McManus, the Vice President of J.S. McManus, “was the project manager who oversaw the coordination of our subs along with the coordination with the architect, owner, restaurant owner, and the other prime contractors. I had my superintendent Tim O’Connell, who was on-site to handle the day-to-day operations.”
McManus added that,
“We kept our focus on getting the steel superstructure completed as soon as possible so that we could get the roof installed. As with all projects, once the roof is installed, then you can really expedite the project since you don’t have to worry about being impacted by the weather. It took a lot of hard work from my team and we all stayed focused and worked diligently to complete the project on time.”
E.P. Donnelly Inc., of Warrington, Pa., was enlisted to install the roof. The unique roof design included three triangular dormer windows on each slope, spaced out across the roof. These features called for extra care during detailing to ensure smooth lines, that aesthetic beauty was maintained, and that all areas were fully sealed and waterproofed. Gerry Campi, of E.P. Donnelly, reiterated that the marina roof design really was a visual punch: “The roof has become a billboard, of sorts, for the marina, visible from a nearby interstate highway.”
Despite Ridley Marina being located in snow-country, no snow retention had been specified for the project. “We actually brought this up to the owner and architect that no snow guards were specified for the metal roof, which would could create a serious safety concern.” E.P. Donnelly, the roofing contractor, recommended the ColorGard® system. Campi’s suggestion to specifically incorporate S-5! products was an easy one to make. Donnelly has had ample opportunity to try out various other snow retention systems that are on the market. But they “…have solely used ColorGard for over 17 years now.” To them, it is the “only system that works, and will not use anything else”. Being an avid user made the decision to use ColorGard a no-brainer.
Sourcing the snow guard system was an easy decision because Campi had worked with a specific distributor since 2013. Brock and Associates Metal Resources, based in Pittsburgh, fulfilled the necessary bill of materials. Brock is a manufacturer and distributor of Exterior Metal Cladding Systems for Commercial and Industrial applications. Lisa Olson, Metal Products Coordinator at Brock, knew they “were the right choice for the project because we are a company that you can depend on.
"Our founder, Allan Brock, has over 40 years of experience in the industry. Brock and Associates Metal Resources is a small regional company that has offered unparalleled customer service for eight-plus years. We consistently offer the best pricing, best value, and companies know they can rely on our team to help them meet their project deadlines. We really are a total resource, for all things metal, and are proud to offer systems that are engineered to give the owner, architect and contractor the highest quality and most aesthetically pleasing product available.”
Ensuring aesthetics was a crucial design element of this project. S-5! products delivered by allowing perfect, color-matched strips of the roof to be inserted into the ColorGard sections - providing unsurpassed holding strength while still maintaining a streamlined appearance.
ColorGard® snow guards feature finish-matching that lasts the life of the roof because it is the same material as the roof. Easily install any time of the year; or retrofit the ColorGard system to an existing roof or incorporate it in the new roof design.
The S-5-S (“S” stands for snap-lock) is designed for traditional, single-fold (angle-seam) horizontal profiles of 1” (25 mm) and 1.5” (38 mm) seam height dimensions and all similar seam types.
