The year 2021 saw the most extreme heat wave in modern history and four $20 billion-plus weather mega-disasters worldwide: Hurricane Ida, monsoon flooding in China, severe winter weather in the southern and central U.S., and flooding in Germany and Belgium.
How can we protect ourselves and our communities from these disasters? One answer is through resilient building practices, such as resilient roofing.
Resilience is the ability to adapt to changing conditions, and withstand, and rapidly recover from a challenging or unforeseen disruption.
Think of the concept like this:
Resilient structures don't just have solid bones, though. A structure must have a resilient design.
"Resilient design encompasses a wide range of measures including building design, infrastructure design, land-use planning, farming practices, and forestry," explains the Resilient Design Institute, a national nonprofit on a mission to create safer buildings and communities while leading us toward sustainability.
The EPDM Roof Association adds that for roofing in particular, a resilient and robust design translates to the ability to resist extreme weather events, climate change, or even change in building use.
Achieving this goal requires a roof to have:
While resilience is typically discussed in the context of extreme natural events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, and earthquakes, it can also be seen as a protective measure against acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, or pandemics.
As a practice, resilience is essential for structural longevity and our collective, communal success.
The roof is a building's first line of defense against weather and should be designed to offer the right level of protection based on the climate, and other factors. When it is, everyone benefits.
Resilient roofs are better suited to withstand severe weather events, and keep buildings operational. When an essential structure, like a hospital, school, data center, food processing plant, or power facility, has a resilient roof, it can continue providing critical services and support those who rely on its function. If the roof does sustain limited damage, repairs are less extensive, and downtime is reduced. More resilient roofs contribute to more resilient communities.
The design of a resilient roofing system considers and plans for a potential power loss and extreme heat, cold, wind, and water intrusion. When there's a power outage, a resilient roof might support its structure and occupants with daylighting measures. Through daylighting, sunlight is harnessed to reduce electric lighting and conserve energy. A resilient roof is also well-insulated and/or reflective to diminish rapid heat loss or gain.
A survey by one of the world's largest commercial property insurers, FM Global, concluded that 94% of Fortune 500 companies have significant concerns about critical equipment failure (due to an event). A resilient roof helps ensure this equipment is protected and remains operational during an emergency and that a building's contents remain undamaged.
When you know your city—be it your workplace, school, or grocery store—can stand up to whatever the world throws its way, you feel confident in your community and want to invest your time, money, and resources into its people and places.
Repairing or replacing a roof is the perfect time to talk about resilience with customers since new construction only accounts for 0.5 billion square feet of roofing installed each year. In comparison, existing buildings account for 2.5 billion square feet of replacement roofing.
"No other major building system is installed as frequently or offers as much potential for resilience," explains Buildings magazine.
From a building owner's perspective, the benefits of installing a resilient roof system include:
When installing a resilient roofing system, you set your customer and community up for success. You're also being smart about your bottom line.
"Installing a resilient roof system should reduce the potential for callbacks to perform repairs after a disruptive event," explains Genn Clapper, a National Roofing Contractor Association technical director.
Contact a Elevate representative near you to learn more about resilient roofing options for your next commercial project and tips on conveying the benefits of resilient roofing to any key decision-maker.
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