Building for the Future Bonus Content | Roofing the WaterFire Arts Center

Over the past couple of weeks, The WaterFire Arts Center has had its roof replaced! Earlier we posted this video as the materials were being delivered up to the roof by crane. At this time the roofing on the main section of the building is nearly complete. It is pretty clear just how vast an improvement the new roof is over the old.

The Arts Center’s Roof suffered serious damage after hurricane Sandy. Photograph by Andrew Doig.

Not only was the old roof made of outdated and inefficient materials, it was also in bad shape, with Hurricane Sandy having done some serious damage to the membrane and leaving significant portions of the roof exposed to the environment. Stopgap measures were taken to manage the situation, but the roof was still in poor condition. Thankfully The Champlin Foundations has provided us with the funding that we needed to upgrade the roof covering to modern materials. The new insulation, far better than anything the building has seen in its history, will keep the interior temperature steady, while the white membrane will protect it from the weather and reflect extra heat in the summer, keeping the space nice and comfortable. Most importantly, we shouldn’t have to worry about leaks anymore!

About the author

Tim Blankenship

Director of Special Projects at WaterFire | + posts by author

Tim Blankenship, newly appointed Director of Special Projects, is a 22-year veteran of WaterFire and a steadfast advocate for the organization’s mission to unite the community through shared artistic experiences. Having worked across multiple departments, including a decade in production and recent years with the creative services team, Tim brings unmatched institutional knowledge to his new role. He will focus on strengthening internal systems and supporting the creation of new visitor experiences at both the downtown installation and the WaterFire Arts Center.