Innovative products and technology are strengthening the eco-friendly quality of Roofing. Varsha Trehan catches up with the fresh options, now in the Indian market
The solar panels installed on the Narmada Canal, Gujarat have been hailed as an innovation to conserve water lost by evaporation, save on land acquisition costs and solve the problem of power supply to neighboring villages. A brilliant roofing solution – green compliant, economical and multifaceted benefits; altogether offered in a neat package. Roofing options on buildings – residential, industrial or commercial are getting 'cool' in other materials too.
Steel for Green standards
The aspects of metal roofing supporting green compliances were offsite manufacture, recyclable materials and durability. Supported by products like sandwich panels and other insulation add ons, these roofs gained popularity as they emerged as a low maintenance solution, which meant among other things saving on water for washing. Scope for addition of skylights or other low energy lighting solutions like LED catered further for energy bill reduction. At industrial and other suitable sites, accessories louvers and wind driven roof ventilators bring in a fresh breath of air into stuffy work areas that too at near zero operating costs. All these fitted into a wide range of roof pitches and profiles.
"Metal roofing systems are one of the fastest growing segments in the Indian construction industry. Progressive categories in metal roofing systems include trapezoidal profiled sheets that were screw downfixed, the hidden fix-clip profiles to the most sophisticated Standing Seam Roofing (SSR) system. Multicolor is considered a pioneer in the SSR metal roofing option. Our Multi-Seam SSR scores over other roofs when it comes to weather tightness, as the membrane system is able to accommodate a wide range of thermal variations prevalent in many parts of India" offers Mr. Rajesh Gupta, Managing Director, Multicolor Steel.
"The strong 360 degree locking system of the product ensures durability under live load, strong wind up lift and adverse weather conditions. With the integrated design we can accommodate site conditions and field assembly constraints without giving up on the advantage of clean site or wastage control. The mechanized seam joining procedure cuts on time and as no fasteners penetrate the membrane weather sealing is more efficient. This also makes it suitable for retrofitting and for low slope roof building as low as 1o slope.
Bouncing off the heat
Several companies are in the market building on a strong commitment to preserving the environment through the complete lifecycle of any product – manufacturing to recycling. In situ roofing products in this category address inside and outside temperatures. Generally cities and suburbs have air temperatures up to 10 degrees higher than surrounding areas. Elevated summertime temperatures in these developed areas produce 'heat islands' which are detrimental to human health and the environment. The higher temperatures in these areas are due to displaced trees and vegetation, heating up of the air trapped between buildings which reduce airflow and the waste heat from vehicles and airconditioners, which add warmth to air. There are two primary strategies for mitigating heat islands. They are by increasing vegetative cover and installing alternative roofing materials.
The other Green products of CertainTeed in India include 'Vinyl Sidings', an exterior wall cladding material made of uPVC which also comes with lifetime color-fade warranty and 'CoolStar', a membrane to be applied on flat roofs which is waterproof as well as solar reflective, contributing to significant LEED points.
Concrete efforts
Concrete and clay roofs have held up their heads high over time for their strength, affordability and possibly benefitting from sheer product familiarity. They had their share of reputation bashing for environmental damage, but have risen above that as newer technologies like quick setting concrete work to save time and labor. Addressing roof heating problems is the Cool Roofing System by Monier Roofing solutions. Mr Ashok Ninan, DGM - Sales & Marketing at Monier Roofing explains "We know that 75% of heat enters a house from the roof and only 25% from the walls. This is because the roof is exposed the most and for the longest period to solar radiation. The heat radiated from the sun is absorbed by the roof surface and the house ceiling absorbs the radiated heat. This causes the temperature in the attic to rise and heat up the living spaces. To cool down the house, one should reduce the amount of heat entering through the roofs and that is what Monier has done. The Monier has developed CoolRoof® system, to shields a house from the sun's heat waves and allows airflow to reduce heat build-up. Through extensive research and development in Asia and Europe, it has found that houses having Monier's CoolRoof® system are cooler by up to 10oC compared to houses having conventional roofs."
The system components work to reduce entry of heat radiations, offer water tightness solutions and improve air ventilation while keeping off bird/insect entry.
Alternative materials and design ideas are constantly coming up to reduce gadget and therefore energy consumption to keep our exterior environment safe as we maintain climate comfort levels in building interiors. It is a comforting thought that manufacturers of different products and roofing systems are concerned with not just the roof over our heads, but the roof over the earth too – the atmosphere. It's all about fresh and complete solutions. Stay cool, we say.
