Village of Park Forest, Illinois, converts 50-year-old shopping complex into unique and sustainable downtown; FiberTite® roofing products used for over 30 different applications on more than 20 roofs.
Project Details: 
Name: Village of Park Forest
Dates: Installed in November, 1997
Location: Park Forest, IL U.S.A.
Project Story:
In 1950, the Village of Park Forest made national headlines when it became the first post World War II planned community. Designed around a large shopping mall complex south of Chicago, Park Forest set a new standard for municipal planning.
In the mid-1990s, Park Forest again made headlines when the village purchased an aging shopping complex nearby – nearly 20 buildings in all – with plans to turn the complex into a unique downtown. Plans called for old stores to be converted to municipal offices, stores, museums, gymnasiums and art centers.
Because the village had undertaken such a huge renovation project, cost efficiency was a priority. In addition, the village had a pressing need to select materials – including a roofing membrane – that would effectively secure and protect the buildings’ assets over a long period of time.
After consulting with an independent representative, city officials chose FiberTite Roofing Systems for the roofs in the complex, based on its superlative track record and proven durability.
Rob Gunther, superintendent for Park Forest, said nearly every TPO, PVC and asphalt roofing system installed by the previous owner had to be replaced.
“(The) PVC roofs were splitting and some had extreme shrinking after only 10 years,” Gunther said.
After the first application of FiberTite on the village gymnasium in 1988, village officials were sold on membrane’s quality. Reinforcing their decision, there has been no need for any repairs to the membrane since it was installed over 20 years ago, and the village has since specified FiberTite exclusively to protect all of its buildings.
The versatility and performance of FiberTite also has accommodated contemporary concerns about overall sustainability and ‘green’ practices. “Whenever possible, the village considers ‘green’ options for its projects and seeks to promote them as demonstrations of new technologies and options for residents to consider,” Gunther said.
To further promote widespread awareness of those concerns, village officials called for FiberTite when they installed a vegetative roof at the community’s water park, the Aqua Center. Village residents are able to access the roof to view the garden, and FiberTite has withstood the challenge of the heavy foot traffic.
The installation of a rooftop garden naturally lowers a building’s cooling costs during hot summers and provides an attractive source of fresh oxygen to offset carbon dioxide emissions common in metropolitan areas.
While Park Forest is in Illinois, Gunther pointed out that FiberTite meets even stricter standards established in other states. For example, FiberTite far exceeds standards established in California Title 24 as well as Cool Roof Rating Council and LEED roof ratings.
With about 16 projects completed, Gunther estimated that FiberTite was used in over 30 separate applications throughout the complex. Most projects utilized 36 mil, mechanically attached, 45SM, adhered FiberTite.
FiberTite, a product of Seaman Corporation, is a roofing membrane that combines Seaman-developed fabric technology with Dow ELVALOY™ Ketone Ethylene Ester coating. The fabric is engineered to resist tearing, abrasions, punctures and UV damage, while the coating has been proven to be consistent in its superb flexibility and resistance to cracking.
As a result of this superior technology introduced in 1979, over 99% of all FiberTite roofs ever installed are still protecting buildings upon which they were installed.
ELVALOY™ is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow.
