UC Riverside’s Orbach Library will get a new roof as a part of a renovation project that began in September.

The project involves a complete demolition of the existing roof and replacing it with a new roofing system. The work is expected to be completed in December, weather permitting.

The old roof of the 1998 building had become leaky, with water seeping through ceiling tiles in the third floor of the building, said Chad Chambers, a project manager with Facilities Services. Replacing it has been a priority to protect the building from further leakage, he said.

The third floor has been closed off as a result of the leaks. Some books have been moved to other floors, others are being treated by the library’s conservation and digitization strategies staff. However, the majority of the books on that floor are not accessible; library staff are either purchasing copies of those titles or obtaining access to copies from other libraries until the books can be reviewed, cleaned, and made available. The computers, equipment, and other material on the floor are not accessible. The rest of the library will remain open and operational throughout the project.

As part of the replacement, Facilities Services crews are removing the existing roof down to the concrete deck. The removed material is being hauled away with a crane in bags and dumpsters without disrupting the library operations, Chambers said.

The old roof material, made of PVC plastic and polymers,had a 15-to-20-year life. The new roof is made of up a monolith fiberglass material from roofing company Weather Weld that has a 40-year protection expectancy. It’s already been used on five other roofing projects on campus including Olmsted Hall and Campbell Hall. 

“We’ve had zero issues since,” said Dan Lerman, assistant director of project management for Facilities Services. “It’s very durable and sustainable.”

“We’re really excited to be doing this project,” he added.