Oldest TPO UltraPly™ Roof

Oldest TPO UltraPly™ Roof Last year nearly 40 million tourists visited Las Vegas. It’s unlikely very many went to see a nondescript warehouse about a quarter mile from the casinos and hotels. And if they did, they wouldn’t find any bronze plaques to indicate the importance of what happened there in 1996. No – it’s not Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon. But to the commercial roofing industry, the 8,184 square foot warehouse building has great historical significance. It is the site of the first installation of Elevate UltraPly™ TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin) 45 mil., a polypropylene ethlyene plastic composite rubber roofing membrane. In 1996 TPO roofing membranes were newly introduced to the market and basically unproven. Firestone has been working with TPO since the late ‘80s in roofing applications, and formulation trial and error were not uncommon in its early years. What was needed was a true, real world, test of TPO. And Firestone was anxious to test its TPO formula under the most demanding conditions. The intensity of the Las Vegas climate would be the definitive proving ground of Elevate’s TPO. High-quality TPO starts with great chemistry. Great chemistry is essential to engineering a high quality membrane. The combination of UV stabilizers, fire retardants, titanium dioxide, antioxidants and heat stabilizers are all part of what makes great chemistry. And Firestone has a proven history of great chemistry. The initial roof that was installed is still there and is performing well – leak free. To read the complete case study, click here. Printer Friendly Versio