Mustang Island Episcopal Conference Center sits on a barrier island off the south coast of Texas. The structures at the center are fully exposed to a variety of weather conditions. The synthetic slate mansard roofing on the buildings continues to hold up exceptionally well — even through extremely rough weather.

Installed in 2017, the DaVinci Single-Width Slate tiles have survived everything from severe summer storms to a Category 4 hurricane. Just weeks after installation, Hurricane Harvey slammed into Mustang Island with winds up to 140 mph.

Standing Up to Storms

Since the installation of the composite slate tiles, both Tropical Storm Beta and Hurricane Hanna paid a visit in 2020. With tropical storm winds close to a Category 1 hurricane, Hanna again challenged the conference facility. And again, standing up to storms, the synthetic slate tiles proved to be a severe weather roofing solution.

In 2023 Tropical Storm Harold visited. Then in 2024 Tropical Storms Alberto and Beryl came ashore in Port Aransas with powerful winds. Mustang Island is located here, and is a barrier island off the South Coast of Texas, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and Corpus Christi Bay.

“We’re in a very exposed area,” says Kevin Spaeth, director of operations at Mustang Island Episcopal Conference Center. “Straight line winds and storm surges are a regular occurrence for us.

“The DaVinci tiles on our buildings continue to hold up great and have not suffered any storm damage. It’s remarkable that they look just as good today as they did when installed. Despite the searing sun and salt air, the color has not faded at all. Above all, the tiles require very minimal maintenance. That’s really great for our operations.”

Specifying Single-Width Slate

Mansard application roofs get full exposure to Mother Nature. At the Center, the roofing tiles are vertically placed. As a result, they also serve as siding on the structures.

The Center was constructed in 2002. When the original roof failed, DaVinci tiles were installed in 2017.

The design firm of Richter Architects recommended the DaVinci Single-Width Slate tiles for both the side wall applications and the roofs at the Center. “We’ve had these tiles for almost 10 years now and we’re very confident in their ability to protect our facilities,” says Spaeth.

Growth at Conference Center

Over the years more housing units continue to be added to the community. The newer buildings also have mansard-style roofing. Similarly, they also have the DaVinci Single-Width Slate in the custom-color of Mustang Moss. This color is created by DaVinci especially for the facility.

“Our organization made a solid investment in DaVinci products,” says Spaeth. “In return they’ve given us a great deal of peace of mind through all kinds of weather. These roofing tiles make our facility feel comfortable and safe.

“The synthetic slate tiles perform well in our coastal environment. DaVinci is very interested in how their product performs, and we’re very pleased to recommend this roofing product to our neighbors.”

Identified as a “model for barrier island environmentally conscious design” by representatives of the General Land Office for the state of Texas, the center has been recognized with several design awards. As Mustang Island Episcopal Conference Center continues to grow in size, the synthetic slate tiles will continue to be a severe weather roofing solution that stands up to the forces of Mother Nature … and perhaps laugh at her just a bit.

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This blog was originally posted in 2020.