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1750 St. Charles
New Orleans,
Louisiana
 1750
St. Charles Apartments is a mid-rise apartment building located in the Garden
District of New Orleans. The building and the pre-existing roofing system
were built in approximately 1978. In February of 1998, French Engineering
performed a Roof Condition Survey, as well as a Non-Destructive Nuclear Moisture
Survey, in order to provide an evaluation of the overall roofing system at the
mid-rise complex. Our investigation specifically focused on the current
performance and anticipated service life of the roofing assemblies consisting of
built-up roofing membranes.
Results of our
survey and investigation revealed an overwhelming majority of the roofing system
to have insulation moisture contents in excess of 30% by weight, which is
considered wet. Previous studies have shown that the presence of moisture
within roofing systems is generally detrimental to the performance of the roof.
Not only does moisture cause premature deterioration within the roof membrane,
but wet insulation loses a significant portion of its thermal efficiency.
 Following
our investigation and recommendations for repair, the owner of this high-profile
residential complex determined that it would proceed with the roof renovation
and that French Engineering would provide construction documents, as well as
full-time Quality Assurance Inspections. The roof renovation design
included removing the existing built-up roof assembly and installing a new
two-ply, modified bitumen roof system over all roof areas (approximately 78,500
S.F.), as well as incorporating a new tapered system to improve the overall
surface drainage of the roof.
 In
addition, the hundreds of individual air conditioning units would be raised and
set on custom supports in order to allow for proper maintenance and up keep of
the roof system, as well as the mechanical equipment. The design also
included replacing the existing wood balcony areas, that had previously been set
directly on the roof, with a new concrete paver-on-pedestal  system
that would allow
for proper drainage through the area deck and over the completed roof system
towards the roof drains.
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