Museum Parc Condominiums

Project Name: Museum Parc Condominiums

Client: Museum Parc Homeowners Association

Location: San Francisco, CA

Description: Located in the SOMA district of San Francisco, the Museum Parc Condominiums is a luxury residence in one of the city's most popular districts. Opened in 1989, the 15-story building features 234 units as well as access to retail stores located on the first floor.

Bigham Taylor was called on to replace a ballasted IRMA system that spanned 70,000 square feet that included almost a million pounds of two-inch surfacing aggregate.

There were a number of challenges that BT staffers faced during the project, including the inability to use a crane to transport debris off the roof or new materials to the roof deck. Plus, there was a tight deadline, since the City of San Francisco had mandated that the street had to be cleared before the opening of Apple's MacWorld at nearby Moscone Center.

Removing the existing system, and getting the rock down to the ground, while trying to minimize the impact on occupants and retailers, was the first step. BT set up high-powered vacuums that had eight-inch tubes running 300 feet into a truck. The remaining roof system was removed in pieces via hydraulic power hoists. That part of the project took two weeks.

Materials were brought up to the roof via power hoists, 400 lbs at a time, and the conversion to a Siplast Torch Applied Modified Bitumen system with Aluminum Veral Base Flashings started. During the installation process, BT had to integrate the roofing system into the glass fiber reinforced concrete that is a building feature. After the roof was installed, acrylic coatings were used to waterproof the structural concrete that is used to support the building's facades.

Four months after BT staff stepped on the roof to begin the removal process, the team put the finishing touches on it. There was a week to go before MacWorld opened and the project was complete, with only a few expected calls about the noise.