Private Residence, BVI
When Huber and Associates was asked to provide the owner with a Japanese style roof using copper roofing the answer was an immediate ‘yes’ and the design work was soon to follow. A ‘S’ shaped copper tile with other Japanese style copper accents was the hope of the Owner’s design idea. Aesthetics was the obvious important aspect, yet the other very important consideration of wind resistance in a Hurricane Zone was vital to the design.
These challenges of creating the desired aesthetic with enduring function was exacerbated by the desire to have a tile with a curved profile. This meant not only firm attachment to the roof deck but an ability to lock the tiles to form a watertight bond to each other. Obviously with most tile roofs like an ‘S’ shaped tile side lock is important as the tiles only have double coverage at their laps. Also, given the lower slope, there was a real need for dependable water shedding in wind driven rain. And lastly, as catching rainwater in the BVI is essential, the building design required a large built-in gutter at the roof’s midpoint, and access to such. Obviously, walking on copper tiles, would not yield a good result.
drawing details
The drawings below show just some of the planning that went into design of the stairs and hip finish:
Design details were made into working models. Again, to overcome access issues, matching stairs (ascents) were designed into the roofs.
As seen in the picture to the right, special attention was also given to ridge finish.
project completion and success
The real success for Huber and Associates for this roofing case study came when Hurricane Irma brought its eyewall to the property. Over the course of 5 September 2017 Hurricane Irma rapidly intensified until it had strengthened well beyond sustained wind speeds required for classification as a Category 5 hurricane, into the strongest hurricane ever recorded over the open Atlantic Ocean (excluding the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea). At 5:00 AM, the National Hurricane Centre has indicated that Hurricane Irma's maximum sustained winds remain near 185 miles per hour (mph) with higher gusts. By the time the storm hit the British Virgin Islands, it had intensified to such a level as to be detected on seismometers calibrated for earthquakes. The photo below is right after the storm and the circled areas show where whole sections of the building blew off. Yet, as you can see in the photo and to the delight of the Owner, many and most of the copper tiles remained intact throughout the property. The design had certainly proved itself in meeting the aesthetic and the durability needs.
