WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has updated the Modified Bitumen Design Guide, a valuable resource for building owners and roofing professionals working with asphaltic roofing systems.

The collaborative guide is broken up into sections and addresses relevant aspects, issues and concerns of modified bitumen roofing systems and its associated components, substrates, construction techniques and innovative uses. It includes considerations for latest trends in roofing that call for the roof to provide more than waterproofing, including solar, garden and recreational surfaces.

Topics covered in the guide include deck materials and treatment, roof insulation, membrane installation techniques and choosing the appropriate surfacing materials. The guide can now be purchased on the ARMA website: http://asphaltroofing.org/resources_publications_arma.html.

Reed Hitchcock, ARMA’s executive vice president, said he was excited to see the roofing manual made available to the public.

“ARMA serves as an industry resource, and creating detailed, instructive literature like the Modified Bitumen Design Guide adds to our depth of expertise,” said Hitchcock. “Every building owner, architect, engineer, contractor, roof consultant and specifier should have a copy of the guide on their bookshelf.”

Representing 95 percent of North America’s asphalt roofing manufacturers, ARMA believes that educating the roofing professional as well as the property owner about their asphaltic roofing system is critical in understanding the important role that membrane plays in preventing water entry into the building and providing fire resistance from external sources.

Drawing from the technical expertise of ARMA’s member companies, the Modified Bitumen Design Guide is applicable to any current modified bitumen roofing system and accounts for all current technologies and asphalt product materials.

“If we can educate the property owner about their asphalt roofing system, they will see for themselves why asphalt has been America’s preferred roofing material for over 150 years,” added Hitchcock.

For more information, visit www.asphaltroofing.org.