Press & Media Coverage

Uber Headquarters, designed by SHoP Architects, is the ride-sharing company's first ground-up building. Sited near public transportation, the project prioritizes the temperate climate of San Francisco and engages with pedestrians. The 423,000-square-foot project includes an 11-story tower and a six-story structure connected by two crisscrossing skybridges with a landscaped park underneath. Additional sustainability features include on-site water collection and solar harvesting, with an American Hydrotech Garden Roof Assembly on the roof. The project received LEED GOLD and WELL Gold certifications.

Architects and commercial building owners can achieve improved R-values from their roofing systems using an American Hydrotech, Inc.® Protected Membrane Roof assembly featuring Styrofoam™ Brand Plazamate™ XR Foam Insulation.

At R 6.7 per inch1, Styrofoam™ Brand Plazamate™ XR has the highest thermal resistance per inch of any XPS roofing insulation. This can reduce insulation thickness as much as two inches for R40 roofs, making Plazamate™ XR ideal in height constrained installations. Less layers of insulation may be required to achieve the code mandated R-values, resulting in labor, shipping and handling savings.

With a 30-percent higher R-value, this evolutionary, low-global warming potential (GWP) Styrofoam™ Brand insulation product provides exceptional thermal-insulating performance and offers users the LEED Embodied Carbon/LCA Optimization credit.

Blue, Green, and Blue Green Roofs:

There are several types of green roofs. Factors that can influence what type is used vary depending on the owner’s intent for the use of the roof, the roof’s structural capacity, weight, and the expected maintenance of the plants.

Green roofs can be gauged on being intensive, meaning a garden on a roof with many different types of plants, and extensive, meaning low-maintenance and largely self-sustaining. The extensive roof is the most affordable, most lightweight option that is ideal for flat roofs. The plants that are used in this green roof are typically sedums, but any plant that is hardy and can withstand harsh growing conditions is a suitable choice. 

From its humble beginnings in 2011, Uber has rocketed to the top of the technology food chain and now provides a global platform that is driven by the mission to help people get anywhere and get anything.  A big part of Uber’s mission, too, is sustainability.  Specifically, the company is committed to becoming a fully electric, zero-emission platform by 2040 as a way of tackling the challenge of climate change.  One way that Uber is backing its commitment to sustainability is its new headquarters in Mission Bay, a neighborhood on the east side of San Francisco, California.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the North American industry association for green roofs and walls, is excited to announce that American Hydrotech is the winner of a new award presented to companies and non-profits that have provided support for the development of the green roof and wall industry for more than ten years: the GRHC Corporate Member Legacy Award!

Read more about the award here.

John Hamati, director of technical services for American Hydrotech Inc., says the term ballast often refers to stone as the ballast, but it’s not necessarily exclusive to stone. “A ballasted roof will have the membrane installed first onto the approved substrate, then followed by the XPS Styrofoam insulation and then the proper overburden,” Hamati says. XPS Styrofoam insulation is a closed cell polystyrene that is highly moisture resistant. Placing it on top of the roofing membrane offers protection from the harsh roof environment. American Hydrotech only uses XPS in their assembly as it can resist moisture.

June 1, 2022 - Chicago

The very best in waterproofing and expansion joint technology can now be warranted together for up to 20 years!

Hydrotech is pleased to announce that when Emseal’s RoofJoint product is used in conjunction with Hydrotech’s Monolithic Membrane 6125® (MM6125®) waterproofing/roofing membrane, Hydrotech can provide a true single source Watertightness Warranty for up to 20 years! No other hot rubberized asphalt supplier can offer this warranty!

In roofing assemblies for low-slope concrete roof decks, Protected Membrane Roofs set the bar for cost savings, labor efficiency, and roof life span among other advantages. These, advantages may appear counterintuitive: common sense suggests the roof's waterproofing covering needs to be on top, protecting all the other components of the assembly from the elements of nature, including the insulation. Nonetheless, the primary moisture barrier (or waterproof roof covering) itself tends to be the weak link when exposed to environmental stress. 

SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, is the first indoor-outdoor stadium to be constructed and is currently the NFL’s largest, at 3.1 million sq.ft.  The $5 billion stadium can seat a maximum of 100,000 guests, and includes 12 club spaces, a 6,000-seat performance venue, a 2-1/2 acre covered outdoor plaza, and a dual-sided elliptical video board with integrated sound system.  SoFi stadium utilizes a unique single-layer ethylene tetrafluoroethylene roof, which is a highly transparent extruded film that is just 1% the weight of glass.  The massive venue is truly a one-of-a-kind stadium, thanks in large part to the materials that were used to build it.

Sika has acquired American Hydrotech Inc. in the USA and its affiliate Hydrotech Membrane Corporation in Canada. With this acquisition, Sika will become the number one supplier of green roofs in North America.  Through this acquisition Sika gains a new growth platform with the expanded offering of complete roofing and waterproofing systems. The two companies have a similar corporate culture with highly motivated people and a strong focus on sustainable, reliable, long-lasting, solutions and customer relationships, and therefore fit together perfectly.

A new landmark sits just west of the global tourist attraction, the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada.  A 1.8 million sq.ft., 65,000-seat domed stadium, costing nearly $2 billion is the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders.  Southern Nevada residents, as well as global sports spectators, have eagerly awaited the completion of the amazing new stadium.  Eberhard Southwest Roofing, Las Vegas, was contracted to waterproof the stadium’s footprint and install the cutting-edge roofing system, which encompasses a transparent roof and surrounding membrane.