Hawaii is known for many things — its rich history, beautiful landscape and amazing surf are just a few. More than six million people flock to the islands annually to take in the beauty of the 50th state, many of whom wishing they could stay.

Some of those fortunate enough to call Hawaii home reside in a beautiful building in Honolulu known as the Marco Polo Condominiums. The Marco Polo Condominiums building is impressive for many reasons. Part of the Honolulu cityscape since 1971 and home to 586 apartment units on 36 stories, Marco Polo is located alongside the beautiful Ala Wai Canal separating it from Waikiki, an area known for strong Pacific winds. After decades of exposure to these high winds, it was time to replace the existing roof.

The design, location and the many roof penetrations made this multi-family structure a beautiful challenge. Because of the sometimes fierce weather associated with the area, it was important to the building facility manager that the roof system chosen provide long-lasting protection against the elements. After much consideration, the hired contractor, Tropical Roofing and Raingutters Inc., chose a Polyglass multi-ply system to provide the protection the building needed.

The new system specified included adhering Polyglass’ Polytherm 3.1-inch polyiso insulation board to achieve an R-value of 19. Following the insulation being installed, Tropical applied Polyglass’ Elastoflex®SA V FR base sheet, an SBS fire-rated self-adhered roof membrane. Polyflex®G FR, a polyester-reinforced, fire-rated APP granulated cap sheet, was then torch-applied to finish the job. Polyflex G is available in a variety of colors, and white was chosen for this project.

Not only was the wind a factor in the installation of this 300-square roof system, so too was the number of roof penetrations. The Polyglass roof system chosen allowed for easy flashing and flexibility to move around the multiple objects and penetrations, such as air conditioning units, air handlers and vents present to accommodate the building occupants.

 The project was completed in less than a month — a major achievement considering the design of the roof and that it was installed during the rainy season. The team at Tropical Roofing and Raingutters Inc. tackled the challenging installation with Polyglass’ roof system, and the company is proud to be affiliated with this Honolulu landmark.