InfraStructures - October 2010 - Prestigious Condominium Complex Goes “Green”

Prestigious Condominium Complex Goes “Green”

Mariners Haven, an exclusive condominium community on the western shores of Georgian Bay has become a trend setter in the move to sustainable living.

Mariners is undergoing one of the most ambitious reroofing projects in southern Ontario – moving from traditional cedar to a synthetic material made from recycled products.

The prime contractor, Jay Carter Roofing, is replacing the aging cedar, on the entire complex, with the increasingly popular product Enviroshake®. Enviroshake is made from 95% recycled materials including plastics, fibers, and tire-derived rubber. It has a superior resistance to UV rays and looks like real cedar.

Mariners Haven, originally built by the famous Kaufman family, is a collection of 32 semi-detached homes, built around a private marina basin. The community was conceived and started in the mid 1980s with cedar shake roofs that have begun to deteriorate and must be replaced.

Richard Wilson, president of the Mariners condominium board and an expert in large renovation projects said the original plan was to go back to cedar. “We hired an engineering firm to assess the roofs and to help write the specifications for the replacement. Originally, we were looking at replacement with a better cedar, but Jay Carter came back to us with an alternate proposal – to go with Enviroshake®.”

Enviroshake also gets a superior rating from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) an accreditation system administered by the Canadian Green Building Council to accelerate the transformation to high-performing, healthy green buildings, homes and communities throughout Canada.

The project is well underway and Mr. Wilson says the Enviroshake looks great.

Lead engineer for R.J. Burnside and Associates, Mina Tesseris said the condominium will see a major reduction in the lifecycle cost of roof replacement.

Source: Enviroshake Inc.