Story

The Iris at the former site of DCHA in Washington, DC is a luxury apartment building housing 430 units across 14-stories in the dynamic NoMa neighborhood. Sustainability was a focus for the project and Prospect Waterproofing Company helped achieve the LEED Gold certification by installing green roofs on the main and penthouse roofs to help manage stormwater and lighten the load on DC’s aging infrastructure. Prospect’s scope of work: 37,900 square feet of hot rubberized asphalt roofing 56,000 square feet of below grade waterproofing Cementitious waterproofing Traffic coating Sheet metal flashing and trim at the roofs Project challenges included completing work on a site with a small footprint for storage and stocking materials with cranes and forklifts in an active residential neighborhood with lots of other construction activity. Damage to installed roofing was a concern on this new construction project where a tight schedule, limited access to work areas, the coordination of trades, and design changes forced Prospect’s field supervision and workers to juggle the logistics of working across multiple building elevations on the foundation, ground floor, second floor, main roof, penthouse roof, and balconies. Establishing safe working conditions throughout the project was paramount but especially while installing the hot rubberized asphalt roofing using fall protection equipment for tie-off at parapet walls of inadequate height, which required workers’ close attention. During the initial waterproofing work on the building’s foundation, a composite waterproofing membrane was applied at the under slab. The membrane was applied horizontally to the concrete mat slab, which was not a typical flat concrete but was designed to create a unique “egg crate” shape in the concrete. This design required labor intensive diamond patterned detailing work with the waterproofing membrane to create a watertight building foundation. The precise application of the IRMA hot rubberized asphalt roofing system kept the building dry as interior work progressed during construction. To guarantee a watertight building structure exacting waterproofing details were executed at the numerous planters, divider walls, and the interstitial space associated with the pool. The hot rubberized asphalt roofing system was later covered with insulation, drainage board, and either green roofing components or one of several types and sizes of architectural concrete, Ipe or porcelain pavers for overburden at the roofs and courtyard. The garden roofing system includes extensive green roofing areas planted with sedum carpet. Lavish amenity spaces including the resort style rooftop pool and rooftop lounges showcase U.S. Capitol views while hiding the functional roofing system, however, it is the complete roofing system, which guarantees the watertight integrity of the structure for the future. The completion date was met.