Denver, Colorado (2/13/2003) --- The Johns Manville Roofing Systems Group, Denver, Colo. and Hayden Building Maintenance Corp., West Nyack, N.Y. teamed up to donate a new roofing system to the Russel Wright Design Center in Garrison, N.Y. The Design Center is the former home and studio of Russel Wright, a popular designer of American lifestyle furnishings of the mid-20th Century. Manitoga Incorporated, a non-profit trust that owns the home, currently is restoring it to serve as a museum and educational institution dedicated to advancing Wright's legacy.
"When the board of directors of Manitoga charged me with coordinating the restoration of the Design Center, I knew that in order to honor Russel Wright's legacy, it was important to work with industry leaders and the top technology available," said Bruce White, Ph.D., director, Restoration and Partnership Programs. "That's why we approached Johns Manville about this important project."
Russel Wright (1904-1976) is credited with bringing affordable modern design into the American home during the 1930's to 1950's. He was the first to successfully sell household wares as an integrated collection using his own name as a brand name. Whether it was place settings in his "Casual China" line or a sectional couch in his "American Modern" collection, the name Russel Wright meant a way of living that was modern, stylish, and all-American.
But equally important to him personally was the home he created for himself and his daughter, Ann, after the death of his wife. They moved into the house in 1960 when his daughter was 10 years old. To Wright, his 75-acre estate that he named Manitoga, or "place of great spirit" in Algonquin, was his greatest design achievement. The estate, which was designed by architect David Livingstone Leavitt provided Wright the palate on which he could experiment with design and materials.
"Russel considered Manitoga to be a great design challenge," Ann said. "He never considered it finished from the time he started working on it in 1955 until his death in 1976. It really unified all aspects of his life, and reflects a series of theatrical venues both inside and out."
The estate was created on an abandoned stone quarry. Wright restored the land using native plants, and diverted a stream that ran through the property to create a waterfall and a pond. The home is nestled into a cliff face, and incorporates both his philosophy of easy living and his love of nature.
It is not surprising that Wright planted a garden on the roof of his original home so it would blend in with the environment. What is surprising, however, is the roof lasted as long as it did since it never was intended to be a "green roof." The original roof was built-up applied over a wooden deck. With constant watering, the roof developed leaks, which eventually caused structural damage.
U.S. Department of Interior guidelines for the restoration of properties listed on the National Historic Register require that the outward appearance of a roof be consistent with the original. The challenge was to identify modern materials that were suitable for green roof technology.
"We were delighted when we discovered that Johns Manville had donated one of its state-of-the-art membranes as the base component for the green roof on the Earth Conservation Corp. Center," White said. "JM willingly partnered with us to find the best long-term solution for the renovation of the roof. Their technical staff and restoration architects, Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, agreed that the JM UltraGard® SR80 PVC membrane was the best choice."
The PVC membrane is particularly suitable for green roof technology because as a reinforced thermoplastic, it has excellent waterproofing characteristics and heat-welded seams. Before the membrane could be installed, the roof deck had to be completely replaced and detailed repairs made to the exposed roof beams. The original roof configuration was modified to allow a slight increase in slope to provide adequate drainage, a key component that was missing in the original roof design.
Johns Manville chose Hayden Building Maintenance Corp., one of its select roofing contractors, to re-roof the historic building. Hayden was JM's first choice for this project because of the contractor's long history of excellence in the installation of JM roofing systems as well as its experience in specialty roofing projects.
Hayden installed ½-inch thick insulation to the 1,100-square-foot deck and then fully adhered the UltraGard membrane. The new membrane utilizes a PVC-clad flashing that was fabricated to provide a profile that achieves restoration requirements, while still providing a continuous PVC roofing system.
Once the roofing system was watertight, a JM UltraGard Polyster Mat was laid to provide additional protection. A compost pea-gravel mixture and native plants were added to replicate Wright's original design intent.
"For Wright, Manitoga was an experiment, bringing together the full scope of the industrial, interior, architectural and landscape design work of his 30-plus year career," White said. "He worked with many of his clients, including major corporations, to identify materials and products so he could explore new applications. By partnering with JM, we have honored Russel Wright's legacy as an innovator. And in the end, we have achieved a result that not only meets our restoration goals, but also is more durable and a low-maintenance solution."
Johns Manville also was pleased with the collaboration. "We are dedicated to furthering environmentally responsible roofing practices," said David Scheirer, manager of the JM Roofing Institute. "JM shares Russel Wright's commitment to innovation, state-of-the art design and environmental sensitivity, and we were pleased to work with Manitoga Incorporated to assist in renovating this important historical landmark."
Hayden Building Maintenance Corp. also is noted for its community contributions. The 55-employee firm, founded in 1973, also has donated labor to install roofing systems on a local firehouse and an orphanage, among others.
"We are very pleased that Johns Manville asked us to participate in this worthwhile project," said Gregory P. Hayden, president of Hayden Building Maintenance Corp. "We have a very successful business in both new construction and roofing repairs, and believe in sharing our good fortune for the benefit of the community."
Robert J. Hayden, vice president, facilitated the project and Anthony Pavese donated his time to supervise the roofing work. Teddy Kepka and Joseph Kociubinski applied the roofing system.
Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has sales in excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs approximately 9,000 people and operates 46 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.
