NEW YORK ― The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) launched its newly redesigned, providing roofing professionals and consumers with enhanced user-friendly features that improve navigation and online shopping for roofing publications.

The ARMA website, www.asphaltroofing.org, now offers three dedicated portals for visitors: residential, commercial and roofing professionals. These gateways make it easier for users in these particular groups to find pertinent news, information and resources about asphalt shingles and roofing membranes.

“We’re extremely excited about our new site,” said ARMA Executive Vice President Reed Hitchcock. “Visually it’s more appealing and accessible. Visitors will find it easier to browse the site and search for roofing materials that are of most interest to them directly from the home page.”

The main feature area on the homepage will serve as a repository for breaking news and important information about asphalt roofing systems, and will rotate on a regular basis. Consumers and roofing professionals will now have more robust photo galleries to peruse with descriptions of the various types of asphalt roofing systems that are available.

Additional updates to the site include direct access to ARMA’s informational suites, such as Fast Facts, MAT Releases, videos and cool roofing content via the homepage. These resources are also broken out into the individual portals as they relate to residential and commercial applications.

Visitors can link to ARMA’s Quality Asphalt Roofing Case-Study (QARC) Awards Program directly from the website instead having to navigate away from it. Each year, the QARC Awards Program recognizes architects, contractors and specifiers who use asphaltic roofing materials on low-slope and steep-slope building projects for its beauty, affordability and reliability. The 2014 awards campaign is accepting submissions through the end of December.

A newly established bookstore allows visitors to purchase ARMA publications online, further improving the shopping experience. ARMA offers a wide variety of general, educational and specialized design and installation guides and manuals for both residential and commercial asphalt roofing systems.

“Visitors will find our site useful and beneficial, whether it’s a homeowner who’s looking for a particular look for their asphalt shingle or a roofing contractor seeking technical information on how to apply a modified bitumen system on a warehouse,” Hitchcock said. “There’s really something for everyone.”

For more information, visit www.asphaltroofing.org.