Canadian Township Arena
Service

Roof Repair

Client

Canadian Township Arena

Year

2020

Intro

Across Canada, local arenas often serve as the heart of their communities—hosting hockey leagues, junior hockey clubs, and countless other activities. One such township faced a serious dilemma: its aging arena’s roof had lost functionality, leaving the building prone to severe leaks. With extensive damage and no viable solutions on hand, officials considered demolishing the structure and building anew, which would have displaced leagues and driven up community costs..

The Roofing Challenge

The arena’s roof had multiple complicating factors, including:

  • Impossible Removal: The existing roof system(s) could not be safely or feasibly removed.
  • Severe Leaks: Thousands of fasteners supporting a solar panel array allowed leaks to penetrate the structure, causing major interior damage.
  • High Relocation Costs: Moving or reinstalling the solar array onto a new facility would be prohibitively expensive.
  • Weight Constraints: Any added weight from a new roofing solution needed to be minimal.
  • Ongoing Events: The community required a solution that would allow the arena to remain in service without major schedule disruptions.

Enter RMI’s Fluid Applied Membrane

By fortunate coincidence, RMI’s corporate sales manager lived in the area and recognized that the RMI fluid applied membrane might be the only option to save the arena. Having successfully completed similar “can’t leak” projects—such as one for the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)—RMI was confident in its ability to tackle the job.

Detailed Review & Innovative Design

Working alongside the township’s engineering team, RMI conducted:

  1. Building Forensics & Evaluation: Examining the metal roof system, solar supports, and overall structure to ensure compatibility.
  2. Design Collaboration: Designing a fluid applied membrane solution that would encapsulate the existing roof—fasteners, solar panels, and all—without adding excessive weight.

After presenting the plan to the town council, officials approved the RMI roof system as a last‐ditch effort to salvage the arena. The results were immediate: leaks were stopped, and the building could continue to operate and host community events.

Continued Service & Future Outlook

While the township still hopes to build a larger arena in the future, funding constraints mean that the current building must remain operational for as long as possible. The RMI roof system has proven its durability, extending the arena’s service life by at least another year—likely far more. Encouraged by this success, another nearby community arena has adopted a similar RMI solution, and RMI anticipates more such projects across Canada and the United States.

Our project

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