Austin Hose
Innovative New Roof for Headquarters in Amarillo, Texas
by Marcus Dodson, Publisher
Austin Hose is a premier supplier of hoses, fittings, and accessories with several locations across the United States and serves businesses in several industries, including agricultural, oil, and gas companies, developing specialized products in-house to meet their needs. When it came time to redesign their headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, this family-owned company wanted the building to be the coolest building in Amarillo and to exemplify their hands-on approach to the business. Architects at Playa Design Studio, Amarillo, Texas, and roofing contractor Tecta America® Amarillo CS, Amarillo, Texas, were up for the challenge and collaborated to design a 100,000 sq.ft. roof. The team completed construction in September 2023.
Breaking From Norms
Upon beginning the roof, Playa Design Studio and Tecta America Amarillo CS were met with a challenge. The customer wanted a metal building package with TPO on the roof, however, the metal deck that was included in the package was too wide and the span between the flutes was too far to span with polyiso. To tackle the issue, Playa Design Studio and Tecta America Amarillo CS came up with an innovative solution: they flipped the metal roofing deck upside down and opted for a U-panel roof to keep the insulation on top while providing an original design. Installation was interesting due to the surface temperatures of the gray versus yellow TPO membranes, which required careful attention to detail of the welding of all the seams.
“We challenged the norms by turning the U-panel roof deck upside down, which worked perfectly to remain cost-effective by eliminating the need for flute fill insulation,” said Tyler Rathburn, Project Manager at Tecta America Amarillo CS.
Continuing with this innovative solution, Tecta America Amarillo CS used GAF’s induction-weld system to fasten directly into the purlins and complete the installation quickly, while achieving strong uplift resistance. Since the system does not require any adhesives, the team navigated through any weather-related installation challenges and maintained flexibility with the project’s changing timeline.
Developing a Bold Design
Austin Hose wanted a bold design that exemplified their brand and utilized their distinctive logo colors. Working with GAF Design Services and with the assistance of Ivan Jones and Doug Pedersen with Ivan Jones and Associates, Tecta America Amarillo CS created a custom shade of yellow designed from the “Goldenrod” shade on GAF’s color chart to ensure a seamless integration with Austin Hose’s logo. The long horizontal stripes incorporated in the design also provided a subtle reference to the hose industry.
“It was difficult to find a manufacturer capable of providing us with the custom shade of yellow that we needed, until we worked with GAF Design Services,” said Mason Rogers, Architect and Owner of Playa Design Studio. “GAF was really great at getting us all of the custom color materials that we needed, including the yellow TPO membrane.”
GAF Design Services team works with the various stakeholders on a project to help provide solutions for the specific needs of any project. “Our team takes pride in maintaining open lines of communication with architects and contractors to be able to consistently bring projects across the finish line” shared Melanie Miller, Senior Design Service Specialist at GAF.
In spite of the challenges provided by the unique metal and TPO layering, Austin Hose is now able to proudly show off their new roof. The hard work of the architects from Playa Design Studio and Tecta America Amarillo CS, alongside members of the GAF Design Services team, made it possible to overcome all of the roadblocks the team faced in a timely manner. With its distinct, bright coloring that is so reminiscent of a striped hose, Austin Hose can now say that it does have the coolest roof in Amarillo.
