Located on the northwest corner of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus, the Signia by Hilton® Atlanta hotel broke ground in March 2021 as the largest hotel development project in downtown Atlanta during the past 40 years. At 42 stories tall, the hotel overlooks the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and boasts 100,000 square feet of meeting space, three boardrooms, 976 guest rooms, an indoor event deck, outdoor event lawn and the largest hotel ballroom in Georgia.
Built on the redeveloped site of the former Georgia Dome, the Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel opened in January 2024 and features state-of-the art technology, contemporary designs and a lobby spotlighting local architecture.
NRCA member Klein Contracting Corp., Doraville, Ga., was invited to bid on the project by the developer, Skanska, New York, and subsequently was selected as the roofing contractor for the 1.25-million-square-foot hotel project that included multiple roof elevations and two roof areas with mechanical equipment.
Materials
The Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel project was initially planned to start in early 2020 but was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, the project received approval to proceed, but the delayed start resulted in supply chain issues and spiking material costs and availability.
“Beyond the challenges of delivering a skyscraper in an urban environment, our team spent more than seven months in material procurement meetings that included the roofing manufacturer, project executive and strategic supply team at Skanska,” says Candace Klein, president of Klein Contracting.
Working during the COVID-19 pandemic created a series of unexpected events that led to unknown delivery times, making budgeting and projecting deadlines a constant challenge.
Supply chain issues and unique specifications required for the project also made obtaining necessary materials such as cover board and insulation and the specific color and thickness of the roof membrane difficult.
“The Signia by Hilton roof system project, like many other projects at the time, was significantly affected in terms of cost and schedule,” Klein says. “On-time delivery methods fell apart, compounded by storms that impacted the petrochemical and roofing industries.”
Klein Contracting collaborated with manufacturers to determine the price and delivery timeframe for each roof system component. Manufacturers were able to deliver some items, but nobody could guarantee price or delivery of the entire roof system.
Additionally, the selected roof system consisted of 80-mil-thick PVC thermoplastic membrane in reflective grey, which only is produced by Sika® Sarnafil® one day per month, adding to delivery unpredictability and scheduling constraints.
Klein Contracting and Skanska negotiated a material allowance where any amount below the allowance would be returned to the building owner, and anything above would be reimbursed.
After the materials were approved and ordered in January 2022, a team of representatives from Skanska, Sika Sarnafil and Klein Contracting was tasked with reviewing and securing roofing materials and met weekly from Jan. 31 through Sept. 7.
“It took 31 meetings, multiple product substitutions and a lot of flexibility,” Klein says. “Pricing changed multiple times on various items, and product substitutions were frequent throughout the project.”
Materials were delivered in stages starting in July 2022, ensuring that as the Klein Contracting team worked, materials were available.
“The timing worked well as other upstream trades were delayed, which, in turn, delayed the start of roofing work,” Klein explains. “However, the delays did not affect the substantial completion of the project. Unusual times called for unusual solutions, and the collaborative nature of the roofing materials team resulted in the roofing portion being completed not only on time but also on budget!”
Thanks to the team’s hard work, roofing materials for the grand project ended up within $225 of the allowance.
Logistics
Once materials were procured, the Klein Contracting team focused on deliveries, storage and staging.
Working in an urban area meant roofing procedures had to be carried out in a confined space, requiring detailed planning and coordination to manage the limited space available for unloading materials and equipment. All deliveries were meticulously scheduled in advance to ensure smooth operations.
This planning involved detailed, flexible scheduling and coordination of multiple elements, such as crane time, elevator time and installation in various areas as materials were received. Situated between Home Depot Field and the Georgia World Congress Center, the hotel’s laydown area was extremely cramped and in high demand by all trades involved. Materials had to be unloaded immediately and relocated as the space was needed for other trades to unload their supplies.
“An added layer of fun occurred when ‘rogue truckers’ would make spontaneous deliveries, which could not be refused because it might be the only opportunity to receive the materials they carried,” Klein explains. “This situation forced our team and the Skanska team to scramble equipment and crews to unload these unexpected deliveries, adding to already challenging logistics.
“The team had to quickly pivot to get forklifts and personnel to the site to unload and relocate the materials,” Klein continues. “This required constant communication with Skanska and adhering to a well-organized logistics plan to prevent any disruptions that could halt progress.”
Despite numerous obstacles, the collaborative efforts of the teams ensured materials were delivered and managed efficiently.
“This required teamwork, communication and a perpetual eye on the schedule to ensure each task was completed efficiently without causing delays,” Klein says.
Complex roofing
The 118,000-square-foot roof systems were divided into two areas: the podium and tower.
Roofing podium
The podium is about 100,000 square feet. Work on this area began in July 2022 and was completed in March 2023. All the roof areas in this section consisted of steel decks.
On the steel roof decks, one layer of Sarnatherm® substrate boards and two layers of Sarnatherm insulation were attached by the Klein Contracting team with mechanical fasteners through the top layer of insulation followed by adhering crickets and saddles.
Next, workers adhered either 1/2-inch-thick DensDeck® Prime Roof Boards or Securock® Brand UltraLight Coated Glass-Mat Roof Boards based on product availability. To complete the roof system, workers adhered 80-mil-thick Sarnafil S 327-80 EnergySmart Roof Membrane in grey.
The podium’s roof areas were installed in the following order:
Area one: Ballroom, level 5
Area two: Mechanical roofs, levels 3 and 4
Area three: Lobby and porte cochere, level 3
Area four: Restaurant, level 4; pool bar roofs, east vestibule; kitchen, level 5
Area one had one of the most spectacular and uniquely designed rooms of the hotel—the Triumph Ballroom. Five stories above ground, the 40,000-square-foot ballroom facility is attached to and expands the Georgia World Congress Center and has a roof size of about 50,000 square feet.
Ensuring the safety of all workers on the roof was paramount.
The team implemented fall-protection systems, conducted regular safety briefings and ensured all workers were equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment.
“The area went smoothly and was quickly finalized by the installation of walk pads,” Klein says.
The next section, area two, included roofs for mechanical equipment on levels three and four. The building’s unique design aesthetically hides the view of rooftop equipment from the ground; a wall exists between the third-floor HVAC equipment and second-floor roof. The cooling tower is located on the fourth floor and is obscured from view by the fifth-floor ballroom roof.
“The challenges of roofing these areas involved coordination between trades working on the mechanical equipment and needing the roof space for storage because of tight accommodations and extremely limited space,” Klein says.
After working on the roofs with HVAC equipment, areas three and four were completed. Area four involved multiple elevations and had particular safety issues as it is five stories high, narrow (7 or 15 feet wide depending on the section), has no ledges and is against a wall of windows.
“Skanska holds the value of safety for everyone on the job site above all else and worked collaboratively with us to create the best solution to keep everyone in the area working safely,” Klein says. “Stanchions were installed, and Klein Contracting also installed cabling, allowing everyone to tie off to the cable.”
Roofing tower
Work on the tower began in February 2023 and was substantially completed in December 2023. The 453-foot tower was the tallest section of the project. It includes 18,000 square feet of multiple roof areas including the service core mechanical area roof, service core elevator area roof and the tower roof. These roof areas contain a significant amount of equipment and are accessed via a service elevator that serves all 42 stories.
On the steel roof decks over the tower and machine room, one layer of Sarnatherm substrate boards and two layers of Sarnatherm insulation were attached by the Klein Contracting team with mechanical fasteners through the top layer of insulation followed by adhering crickets and saddles.
Next, workers adhered either ½-inch-thick DensDeck Prime Roof Boards or Securock Brand UltraLight Coated Glass-Mat Roof Boards based on product availability. To complete the roof system, workers adhered 80-mil-thick Sarnafil S 327-80 EnergySmart Roof Membrane in grey.
On the concrete deck for the elevator roof, the crew adhered a layer of Sika Vapor Retarder TA 138, 2-inch-thick Sarnatherm insulation, crickets and saddles followed by another layer of 1 1/2-inch Sarnatherm insulation and a layer of 1/2-inch-thick Securock Brand UltraLight Coated Glass-Mat Boards. The complete the roof system, the team adhered 80-mil-thick Sarnafil S 327-80 Energy-Smart Roof Membrane in grey.
The high-rise section of the hotel presented specific safety challenges.
“Working at great heights increases the risk of falls and other accidents,” Klein says. “Ensuring proper fall-protection systems, regular safety briefings and the use of PPE was crucial.”
Transporting materials to the top also was logistically difficult.
“Cranes were shared by multiple trades, so timing was carefully planned but also required flexibility by all trades involved to avoid delays and ensure materials were available as needed,” Klein says.
Limited space for storing materials and equipment complicated the workflow. Heavy equipment was crammed into an 18,000-square-foot space. Workers from multiple trades mobilized on the concrete deck and roof space, so material for all tradespeople simultaneously working in the area had to constantly be moved to accommodate active work.
“Effective communication and scheduling were necessary to prevent conflicts and ensure each trade could complete work without interference,” Klein says. “The coordination included everything from use of the elevator to understanding the phasing to manage such things as flashings and material relocation.”
Multiple elevations, mechanical roof areas, a ballroom, a restaurant, a pool area and a lobby roof area added to the complexity of the installation.
“Despite these challenges, our team successfully installed the PVC membrane system, demonstrating its ability to manage and overcome significant obstacles including delivering on time and within budget,” Klein says.
Ready for check-in
The Klein Contracting team completed work on the Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel in December 2023 in time for the grand opening in January 2024. As one of the highest-profile hotels to open in the U.S. in 2024, rooms were rented in advance and left no room for delays. The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and work together under pressure was crucial to the project’s success.
The team’s dedication and resourcefulness allowed it to overcome logistical challenges to deliver the unique project on time and only $225 over the material allowance. In addition, zero safety incidents occurred.
“The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the goal of creating a sky-rise hotel attached to the Georgia World Congress Center, but it did not change the ability to produce a spectacular roof system on a building that changed the face of the Atlanta skyline,” Klein says. “Creating a team focused on being flexible and open to substitutions, as well as keeping each other up to date on all issues that impacted the delivery and cost of the roof system, directly led to the success of the roofing on the project.”
For its work on the Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel project, Klein Contracting received a 2025 NRCA Gold Circle Award in the Outstanding Workmanship: Low-slope category.
“It is a rare gift to not only work on a building that changes the face of a city but also to be honored to work on a team devoted to everyone’s success,” Klein adds. “Despite the myriad challenges on the project, Skanska invested time, energy and faith in our team. Skanska’s value of ‘Be better together’ empowered us to deliver on our promise of the best roof system on time and on budget.”
Project name: Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Project location: Pittsburgh
Project duration: November 2022-July 2023
Roofing contractor: Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal Inc., Wheeling, W.Va.
Roof system type: EPDM membrane with metal wall panels
Roofing and wall manufacturers: CENTRIA,® a NUCOR® company, Lewisville, Texas; Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, Atlanta; Johns Manville Roofing Systems, Denver
CHRYSTINE ELLE HANUS
Professional Roofing’s associate editor
Director of commmunications
NRCA
