While many of the materials that comprise a roofing system have not dramatically changed in the past 15 or more years, many external needs of the building envelope have changed, and these revisions often should factor into roofing system selection — if not drive the decision-making process. In addition to the needs of the building envelope, there have been improvements in material installation methods and regulatory mandates to consider.

“Failure to understand how changes in peripheral building components can affect the expected life of a roofing system is becoming more common as designers and specifiers work hard to meet so many competing demands of building envelope design,” said Helene Hardy Pierce, vice president of Technical Services, Codes, and Industry Relations for GAF. “In addition to building component changes, competing needs of the finished system makes roofing system selection more critical than ever before.”

Hardy Pierce will present an ARW University webinar titled “Top 10 Considerations for Specifying a Single Ply Membrane in 2013,”which will air on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. Eastern. She will provide insight into the key issues facing architects and specifiers who make decisions about roofing system selection.She will also discuss new building envelope requirements and improvements in material installation methods. This webinar is approved for both 1 AIA Learning Unit and 1 RCI Continuing Education Hour. To register for this free event or view it on demand, just visit www.TheCECampus.com.

During the session, Hardy Pierce will:

1. Identify building envelope requirements that drive roofing system selection.

2. Describe four different installation methods for single ply roofing systems.

3. Detail the benefits and shortcomings of each installation method.

4. Identify the drivers of the growth in cool roofing.

Roofs today can also serve as a platform for rooftop additions including vegetative roofs or photovoltaic systems, and both of these create a myriad of additional concerns, according to Hardy Pierce. She will explore special considerations for solar and vegetative systems along with wind performance and heat loading of the membrane.

And once the roof is installed, maintenance is another key issue, noted Hardy Pierce. “Lack of roofing system maintenance is likely the No. 1 cause of premature roofing system failure, so regardless of the system installed, maintenance of the system is critical to its long-term success,” she said. “Maintenance is an annual expense, but should be viewed as an important long-term investment.”

For more information about this webinar or to register, just click here.  http://thececampus.com/Courses/course_register/cat/arw-university?utm_source=ARW&utm_medium=eNews&utm_campaign=ARW+08-20-13