Ensuring the resilience of institutional and commercial facilities does more than enable organizations to prepare for, respond to and return to operations after natural disasters and other crises. It also can deliver a range of important benefits that are appealing to building owners.
Why has resilience become a top priority in recent years? The effects of climate change have resulted in more frequent and destructive natural disasters affecting facilities, which is prompting building owners of both new and existing facilities to embrace the role of resilience — including resilient roofs — in protecting their organizations’ in-place assets.
“I see more building owners and building managers pay more critical attention to roofs,” says Juan Kuriyama, senior vice president and director of architecture with Hoffmann Architects. “It’s hard sometimes when you’re dealing with an existing building because there are restrictions that are imposed on you by the physical limitations of your building that don’t allow you to do some things. For new buildings, the biggest thing is planning. This is where some building designs fall short and building management fall short.”
By exploring the characteristics and benefits of new-generation resilient roofing, building owners can be better equipped to identify actions they can take to deliver these benefits to their organizations.
For building owners aiming to increase the resilience of their facilities, there is no better component to focus on than the roof.
“The roof is your first line of defense that protects the building from the elements,” Kuriyama says. “It has to be able to withstand water infiltration but also wind uplift and impact resistance, and it must address energy. Most of the energy a building loses is through the roof, so it’s very important how the roof performs energy-wise. There are a lot of hats that the roof has to wear.”
For owners accustomed to thinking of roofs largely in terms of materials and components, resilient roofing requires a broader perspective.
“Resilient roofing is less about a single material and more about system performance overall under different hazards that your facility might see and its lifespan,” says Serena Varner, vice president with FEA, a facilities management consulting firm. “They’re characterized by the ability to withstand extreme weather conditions, and they utilize certain advanced materials and construction techniques to enhance its strength and durability.
“Some of these key characteristics include robust attachment to withstand wind resistance. You want to ensure that your roof covering, your insulation and your cover board are all attached to your deck and structure in a certain way so wind uplift loads transfer safely into your building frame.”
Roofing system manufacturers have revisited and upgraded their product offerings to meet the growing interest in and demand for resilient roofing, including greater emphasis on assembly testing and performance ratings.
“I think that’s certainly a way to get the point across that these roofs are more resilient when you have clearer testing numbers and standards that you can show people,” Varner says. “Show (owners) more robust perimeter and corner detailing because that’s where a lot of failures occur. I think that can get across to facility managers and owners — the numbers that they can see for the improved systems.”
For building owners who buy into the critical role of roofing in facility resilience, a range of financial benefits can become available to their organizations.
“It can pay you back in various ways, such as avoided loss,” Varner says. “If there’s a storm, you can expect less storm damage, so then less repairs that need to be performed to your roof because it can withstand additional pressures and wind loads.”
Varner says that the financial benefits do not stop there.
“There might be like insurance advantages, a lower premium because of the more robust construction of your roof system,” she says. “There could be energy cost savings related to your resilient roof. If you have a cool reflective roof surface, it could reduce your cooling demand and improve the comfort of your occupants.”
Resilient roofing also can put facilities in line to take advantage of financial incentives.
“Some cities and states offer incentives to owners to do more energy efficiency upgrades, which could offset the project costs because resilient roofing tends to be more expensive than standard roofing systems,” Varner says. “You also can expect a longer service life for your resilient roof system. You can expect less maintenance and then obviously a longer life cycle, so less replacements over the life of your building.”
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
Resilient Roofing Can Protect Facilities and Occupants
