In the summer of 2012, America’s Central Port, owned by the Tri-City Regional Port District and located just north of downtown St. Louis, was repairing multiple roofs throughout their 1,200-acre facility. Hail damage caused by a large storm earlier that year prompted the extensive repair project.

With most low-slope commercial roofing projects eventually comes the important decision of finding the right perimeter edge metal solution — a key component in maintaining the safety of the building envelope. Tom Worley, senior consultant at RMT Roofing and Waterproofing of Manchester, Mo., along with RMT owners Ryan and Kevin O’Connell, were enlisted to provide the re-roof design. Because of his extensive project management experience, Worley took the lead for the America’s Central Port project. He was responsible for ensuring that all quality standards were met, so he specified Metal-Era’s Edge Systems One fascia system as the fast, reliable and affordable roof edge solution. It was suggested that using a pre-manufactured edge metal would simplify the installation process, cutting down the time-consuming steps involved with installing shop fabricated metals and creating overall project savings.

The Metal-Era team was eager to assist with this unique project. Our staff of engineers worked closely with Worley and his project team to ensure they received any assistance they might need. David Hyde & Associates (DH & A) were the contractors commissioned for the fascia installation. Alan and Brian Schweiss of Architectural Pro Council, Metal-Era’s St. Louis representatives, were regularly on site and available to answer any questions DH & A and RMT had along the way. Within a few weeks of ordering the materials, DH & A began installing 24,600 lineal feet — nearly five miles — of Metal-Era’s Edge Systems One single-ply fascia on four commercial warehouses on the property.  Edge Systems One is not only an economical solution, being priced lower than other customized systems, it is also ANSI/SPRI ES-1 tested to comply with the International Building Code, something that most shop- fabricated edge metals do not offer. What also makes Edge Systems One so appealing is that it comes with a warranty — up to a 10-year, 72 mph performance guarantee — another benefit typically not available with shop-fabricated edges. Metal-Era’s Edge Systems One product line was designed specifically with contractors in mind. We engineered a unique design feature that eliminates the need for stripping-in or heat welding that is typical with shop-fabricated systems to simplify the installation process and decrease project costs. In fact, when compared to shop-fabricated edges, Edge Systems One installs on average 30 percent faster, adding up to significant savings, especially on large projects like America’s Central Port.

Both RMT Roofing and Waterproofing Consultants and DH & A Sheet Metal were pleased with the ease of installation, quality of the product and the customer service they received from Metal-Era every step of the way.

Since its introduction to the market in 2005, more than 250 miles of Edge Systems One have been installed on commercial buildings throughout North America. America’s Central Port re-roof project is particularly notable because of the extensive amount of fascia installed — Metal-Era’s largest Edge Systems One project to date.

America’s Central Port re-roof project is proof that an affordable engineered edge system such as Edge Systems One can actually cost less than shop-fabricated materials while offering benefits such as extensive testing, performance warranties and significantly decreased labor hours, so contractors can move on to their next project faster.

 For more information, call 800-558-2162 or visit www.metalera.com.