Extending Facility Lifecycles Through Proactive Pavement & Roofing Management
Client Background
Southwest Research Institute operates a 1,200‑acre research and development campus with hundreds of buildings, expansive roadways, and numerous parking assets. Managing such a complex facility footprint requires precise planning and ongoing visibility into asset health. Before partnering with Mantis Innovation in 2019, the organization faced aging pavements and roofs, rising maintenance costs, and increasing pressure to maintain safe, reliable, and efficient operations across its entire property. Without stronger insight and long-term planning, the campus risked escalating repair costs, more frequent failures, and interruptions to critical research activities.
Challenge
Prior to Mantis’s involvement, Southwest Research Institute lacked consistent visibility into the condition of its pavement and roof systems. The large scale of the property made it difficult to prioritize repairs and execute a planned maintenance strategy. Much of the work defaulted to a reactive posture, resulting in unpredictable spending, deferred maintenance, and elevated risk of pavement deterioration, roof leaks, and operational disruptions. The facilities team needed a systematic, data‑driven method to understand asset conditions, allocate capital resources effectively, and build a long‑range plan aligned with organizational needs.
Solution
Mantis Innovation delivered a comprehensive pavement and roofing asset management strategy centered on regular assessments, lifecycle planning, and full program support.
For pavement, the team completed campus‑wide evaluations covering more than 5 million square feet of roads and parking areas. These assessments formed the foundation for a Pavement Asset Management Plan (PAMP), which sequences capital improvements and preservation treatments to extend pavement life by 10 to 20 years. The plan also stabilizes long‑term budgeting by helping the organization anticipate costs rather than react to them.
For roofing, Mantis implemented annual assessments covering more than 2 million square feet of roof area across 288 buildings. The findings feed into Southwest Research Institute's Roof Asset Management Plan (RAMP), which extends roof lifecycles, reduces leaks, and is projected to save the organization $7 million over ten years. Mantis also provides repair design, scope development, specification, and bid package preparation, vendor bid support, construction management, and quality assurance—ensuring each project aligns with long‑term strategic goals.
Across both programs, Mantis applies a predictive, data‑driven methodology that brings clarity to complex facility operations, supports decision‑making, and enables more efficient capital planning.
Results & Impact
Since 2019, Southwest Research Institute has shifted from a reactive maintenance model to a fully proactive, strategically managed program. Pavement assessments covering more than 5 million square feet have informed the execution of over 433,000 square feet of capital projects and more than 27,000 square feet of preservation work. These improvements, guided by the PAMP, enabled Southwest Research Institute to extend pavement lifespans by 1 to 2 additional decades.
On the roofing side, annual assessments covering two million square feet across 288 buildings have generated an unprecedented understanding of asset conditions and future needs. The RAMP is projected to save $7 million over the next decade through leak prevention, extended roof life, and reduced emergency repairs. With repair designs, bid support, and construction quality assurance integrated into the program, Southwest Research Institute benefits from seamless execution from planning through project delivery.
Together, these programs have given Southwest Research Institute a predictable, forward‑looking capital planning strategy, improved facility performance, and significantly reduced operational risk across its 1,200‑acre property.