Last month our firm attended an IFMA (International Facilities Management Association) and BOMA (Building Owner Managers Association) seminar on “Sustainability”. During the IFMA seminar a roundtable discussion pursued on the policies and procedures other member organizations are implementing to promote environmentally friendly solutions to building management and maintenance.

As a consultant in the roofing & waterproofing industry, I started to think about “Sustainability” and how our firm contributes to promoting environmentally friendly solutions to our clients.

“Sustainability” has a number of meanings. In the discussion that ensued, it became clear to all of the attendees that the goals of “Sustainability” are to promote the use of products that extend the life of the facility in an environmentally friendly atmosphere.

It is becoming more clear that industrially generated waste is creating a crisis of enormous proportions. This is a Global Problem that has developed. Many third world countries are emerging as industrialized consumers. The overuse of our natural resources such as water and electricity and the greenhouse gases that are created by this process is destroying our environment and changing weather patterns across the globe. We are also running out of landfill areas.

Practicing “Sustainability” in the roofing industry has not been easy. While there are many Energy Star© rated coating materials and single ply systems, the use of recycled materials in this industry is practically non-existent.

Mostly all roofing systems that are removed do not contain recyclable materials. Unfortunately, this means that the entire contents (insulation, bitumen, membrane and gravel) removed from the roof ends up in local landfills. The volume of materials that are taken to the landfills when roofing systems are removed has been enormous.

There have been advancements in creating “solvent free”, cold applied roofing systems that have virtually eliminated the need for "hot tar” kettles. The result of this endeavor has been a plus for the installer and has greatly reduced the fire liability and air quality issues for the building. New to the roofing market are heat welded systems using hot air welders and the emergence of “peel and stick” systems. The greatest use of “peel and stick” membranes has been on steep slope residential and commercial applications as an underlayment for cement tile, metal panels, and shingles.

The emergence of white single ply membranes in the 70’s has also provided reflectivity in creating and promoting Energy Star© rated systems that will help reduce energy consumption in our enclosed buildings. The use of these single ply systems has grown in the past 30 years as the technology and product has improved. Single Ply systems have become much less expensive to install as compared to their traditional bituminous counterparts. Manufacturers of these systems have made them stronger, thicker and more puncture resistant. The added feature of “heat welded” seams replacing the chemical welds have made these systems a great “lower cost” option to the traditional multi-ply systems.

Several years ago a local Florida firm created a hot melt, rubberized spray adhesive mixing heated polymers with recycled tires. The endeavor appeared to be an excellent idea. The company touted this product with much fanfare at all the roofing trade shows. The complexities of the application process, failed initial applications, coupled with the high cost of the specialized equipment required to heat the product and lead to bankruptcy.

Currently, in the commercial roofing industry, it appears that “Sustainability” has been defined as the building owner’s and manufacturer’s commitment to extend the viable performance of the roofing system beyond its design life. Having a roofing system provide 20 or 30 years of leak free service will greatly increase the ROI (return on investment) and will clearly promote “Sustainability”.

With the uncertain economic climate that we are now living and the pressure for all of us to conserve and eliminate unnecessary costs, we offer the following ideas to promote “Sustainability” for your roofing assets. Many of these initiatives are easy to implement and cost pennies per square foot. “Payback” is immediate!