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 roofing systems installed today are the result of significant suffering and learning, reflecting the lessons learned from fires, wind, heat and chemical reactions. Hail has always been a significant, if infrequent, threat to roofing systems, which bear the brunt of the force when the hailstones fly. For the last 10 years, the roofing industry has grappled with this problem after getting earfuls from the insurance industry. Tired of replacing roofs multiple times in "hail alleys" of the United States, companies have been offering discounts on homeowners insurance for dwellings with approved hail-resistant roofing materials.
The 121-year-old St. James Episcopal Church is one building in which the citizens of La Grange, Texas - population 4,478 - take pride. Declared a Texas State Historic Landmark in 1964, the looming maroon-and-cream-colored church is a local architectural treasure.
Roofing industry experts predict that some 450 million square feet of ballasted roof installed from 1976 and 1996 will be in need of replacing within the next decade.
On one such project, Bill O'Neill, president of Building Envelope Management Inc. of Boston, was hired by a building owner to look at a 225,000-square-foot combined warehouse and office building in Peabody, Mass.
Manufacturers often take advantage of the spotlight at the major trade shows during the winter to launch their new products, so our editors are always on the lookout for groundbreaking products at industry events, including the International Builders' Show and the International Roofing Expo. The unique, innovative, better, stronger and faster products on display receive notice in our annual Editor's Choice coverage. The following products and services were judged as this year's standouts by our editorial staff.
Now that you've purchased the right vehicle, what should you consider when upfitting the vehicle with the necessary equipment to meet your needs? Proper upfitting relies on how closely you've examined your application, including items such as payload, annual mileage and life cycle.
Smart roofing contractors go the extra mile and learn as much as possible about the products they install. Recent industry developments and product innovations support cedar roofing materials' renewed popularity. Contractors working with cedar in 2006 know that they have to be up to speed on trends, market niches, product quality and type, as well as sales support.
The green roofing in the coming years might just be made of silicon. The market for solar energy is about as perfect as this world can create, and solar applications are on the radar screens of many roofing contractors. For many contractors, the way to greener pastures is to be the one-stop solution for rooftop needs. Reflectivity, gardens, insulation and recycling are all great ideas that can be ruined by a leak, so it's only natural that the roofing expert takes on these tasks.
A mandate for construction of four new residence halls on the campus of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, was to use a roof material that offered tremendous longevity. "The board of directors charged us with finding a product that would last 50 years," said Mark Godar, director of facilities management. To meet that objective, the design and construction team utilized approximately 15,000 square feet of pre-weathered blue-gray RHEINZINK® titanium zinc roof and facade panels on the four new buildings.
Kassel & Irons Ltd. launched the company's initial product, KasselWood™, in the early part of 2005. Asked how the St. Louis-based company got its start, Nick Allen, general manager of marketing and sales for Kassel & Irons, said, "Our company was created as a result of the development efforts of Precoat Metals, which has been in business for over 40 years. In addition to Precoat's support, we have the backing of our parent, Sequa Corporation, a $2 billion company listed on the New York Stock Exchange."
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