Department of Justice Roof

Located in Washington’s historic Federal Triangle, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Building was roofed with approximately 95,000 SF of flat terra cotta pavers and 96,000 SF of sloped clay tile including decorative glazed antifixae and final tiles. Despite having been repaired/replaced less than 13 years prior, there were major problems with both roofs, including the critical issue of falling tile.

MTFA investigated potential causes of failure and provided a design solution for repair and replacement of the roof systems. Sloped tile was removed and reinstalled with new fasteners compatible with the relatively soft deck. Where required, replacement tiles were custom replicated. For the flat paver portion, custom color concrete pavers were used as an “inverted roof membrane assembly” ballast to simulate the building’s original wet-set terra cotta paver tiles. This allowed use of a modern energy efficient roofing system while preserving the historic roof-scape vistas of the Federal Triangle.