Metro Health Hospital Foundation in Grand Rapids, Mich., has hired Sustainable Research Group (SRG) to conduct a three-year study of the green roof system and engineered bioswales in the parking lot at its new hospital in Wyoming, Mich.
What began on the West Coast with the passing of California’s Revised Title 24 Code in October 2005 has quickly spread throughout the entire country. Today, most major cities across the United States have adopted some form of energy efficiency standards for new construction and existing buildings.
ENERGY STAR’s Roofing Comparison Calculator is equipped with a user-friendly functionality that anyone on the building team can use with ease. Developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of its mission to accelerate the market penetration of energy-efficient building technologies, the calculator analyzes several key variables, and is a highly recommended exercise when contemplating a change from a black roof system to an ENERGY STAR-rated white one, or determining the savings when considering among alternatives on a new building.
As building managers continue to look for ways to reduce energy costs while facing America’s increasing demands for green compliance, many have begun to look to their roof as a way to satisfy both needs. Suddenly, a building’s roof has turned into an energy asset, with emerging green technology satisfying energy demands through a variety of alternatives. Not only is green building good for the environment, and for a building’s bottom line — it’s also good for the roofing industry.
Replacing the weathered built-up roof at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, Calif., could have been a financial burden for this school district’s budget. But replacing it with a cool roof system that incorporates polyesters, SBS modified, and cool coatings helped the district save money while teaching the community about green initiatives.
Reducing utility costs makes financial sense, preserves natural resources and helps the environment. But renewables and other green technologies have the added allure of allowing building owners to not only conserve energy but generate power as well.
As part of a $12.5 million renovation designed to free the historic Friends Center in Center City Philadelphia from reliance on fossil fuels, the campus of buildings now boasts a 10,000-square-foot vegetated roof — the first in Center City and the largest in Philadelphia.
One green corporation’s search for an environmentally friendly roofing system is complete after Sharp provided roof-mounted solar modules for the nation’s largest commercial solar electricity system at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
The "cool roofing" concept is hardly a new one, having been recognized by organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since the mid-1990s. Much time and effort have been expended to not only educate all concerned parties about this concept, but to encourage them to deploy products that "produce" cool roofing.
GlasKap® CR, Johns Manville’s white acrylic coated fiber glass cap sheet, allowed Enterprise Roofing to meet California’s Title 24 energy code requirements.
As cool roofing enters a second decade of high visibility and growth, it is a safe bet that most building owners, facility managers and roofing contractors are well aware of the two primary benefits.
In full sun, the surface of a black low-slope roof may experience a temperature rise of as much as 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (F), reaching midday temperatures of 150 to 190 F on a summer day. A white vinyl/PVC reflective roof on the same building typically increases only 10 to 25 degrees above ambient temperature under the same conditions. A differential of this magnitude begs the question: What makes one roofing material “cooler” than another?
The
growing awareness of the ecological impacts of development and the associated
growth in the green building industry is prompting renewed interest in green
roofs. Due to their lighter weight and reduced costs, extensive green roofs are
poised to become much more common in the U.S. market.
Green roofs are quite common in Germany and other parts of Europe, as well as in Asia; however, few or only limited studies evaluating their benefits have been conducted. The Denver facility’s EPA evaluation will likely be one of the most thorough evaluations ever undertaken.
Using
solar laminates to power 50 percent of its operations enables General Motors' Service Parts Operations Parts Distribution
Center in Rancho Cucamonga, California, to
save 10 percent of its electricity costs each year.
Located in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, 669 N. Michigan Ave. needed a replacement for its existing asphalt-covered rooftop. The new roof boasts a highly-reflective, soybean-derived white coating that stays cool during the summer months, dramatically lowering both exterior and interior temperature levels.
“No!” This word stands between you and everything you want. No wonder it is such a tough word to hear. But if you are going to survive in this industry, you are going to have to learn to hear the word “no” for an answer!
I’m not being pessimistic. The truth is that if you can hear “no” and not go home and put your head under your pillow, you will make it to the next “yes!” Everything is sales, my friend. To get good at sales, you need to get comfortable with “no.”
Cool roof products have been around for years, but because of the educational and research efforts of organizations such as the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® Reflective Roof Products program, combined with the incorporation of cool roofs into certification programs like LEED and California’s Title 24, the market has expanded significantly.
by A Special Report Prepared bythe Cool Roof Rating Council
Roughly 10 years after emerging as closely related trends, both cool and sustainable roofing have become increasingly popular mainstream selection criteria as they continue to drive change in commercial roofing market dynamics, roof system design, product innovation, selection priorities, building codes, and legislation.
In the quest to find economically feasible green building alternatives, cutting-edge contemporary roofing technology is helping to bring garden roofs — a visually desirable architectural practice — into the mainstream.
A key design objective of the green roof of the Ballard Library in Seattle was the opportunity to generate community interest in green design by making the facility a dynamic teaching tool for sustainable design and environmental awareness.
The City of Chicago, like many cities, is interested in saving energy and reducing both the heat island effect and wastewater runoff. But instead of simply preaching the virtues of garden roofs, Mayor Richard M. Daley has decided to make it a priority to install them on public buildings, including City Hall, which was capped with a new garden roof in 2001.
In the United States, buildings are responsible for almost two-thirds of national electricity consumption and more than one-third of total primary energy use. As a result, the current energy crunch has made conservation measures within these structures more important than ever.
Few people doubt the value of using sunscreen to protect against sunburns and skin-damaging ultraviolet rays. Now a wide range of products are available that essentially act as sunscreens for roofing systems.
It was no surprise when Clarum Homes (Palo Alto, Calif.) announced plans in 2003 to build the largest Zero-Energy Home community in Watsonville, Calif. This innovative homebuilder has been installing solar electric systems in its homes as standard equipment since 1999.
Welcome to the fourth annual Cool Roofing special section, a joint effort between Roofing Contractor and Environmental Design + Construction magazines. In this edition, you will find valuable information including case studies on green building projects utilizing energy-saving, environmentally friendly roofing technologies.
The main campus of Texas A&M University boasts more than 7 million square feet of spray-applied polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing, and almost no other system has been installed at the campus for more than 30 years. Why? Proven energy efficiency, waste reduction and environmental responsibility, as well as long-term performance.
Metal roofs have long been popular with architects for their dramatic appearance and long-term performance characteristics, particularly their low maintenance costs and durability. With the concept of sustainability now being widely embraced by the architectural community, metal roofs are being seen in a new light. Metal roofing can contribute significantly to the sustainable building movement.
When the University of Wisconsin considered installing a green roof, university officials realized they needed some basic education on the topic. Their inquiries helped the university more thoroughly understand green roofing systems and their benefits.
In the past few decades, solar cell technology has evolved from powering calculators to powering emergency road signs, parking lot lights and satellites to providing all of the electrical power for houses.
Cool roofs cut cooling loads by up to 20 percent through the use of reflective materials that limit solar heat gain. A conventional cool roof features light-colored surfaces — shades that commercial facilities with flat or low-sloped roofs find acceptable. However, homeowners typically prefer the aesthetics of darker colors for their steep-sloped roofs.
The roof on the Evangel University Ashcroft Activities Center has survived the grueling elements of Ozarks mountain weather for more than 30 years. With the hope of preserving the roof for another 30 years, the University turned to Henry Company (Huntington Park, Calif.) and its elastomeric roof coatings products.
Met-Tile Cool Roofing Meets ENERGY STAR Requirements
Met-Tile’s new cool roof line comes in 10 designer colors that meet — and in some cases greatly exceed — ENERGY STAR requirements. Met-Tile combines the popular look of tile with the light weight of met.
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