Today's world demands that construction be environmentally friendly, and roofing materials must also play their part. Sustainable roofing solutions provide materials that are both eco-friendly and versatile enough to use in nearly any style of building. House and apartment building residents alike can make healthier choices for the planet by selecting roofing systems that place durability, energy efficiency, and a long service life ahead of other considerations. Today's roofing materials mostly consist of recycled content, thereby reducing waste and fostering an efficient use of energy throughout the built environment via improved insulation. This demand for "green" building practices means good things not just for the roof over your head, but also for the way your building affects your health and the community's bottom line.
In addition, sustainable roofing materials can meet structural aesthetics and diverse functional demands. Available in a range of exciting forms, materials, and colors, prefabricated and tailor-made roofing solutions allow for the kind of architectural freedom in expression that today's leading designers and builders have come to expect. Thanks to the advances of the last several decades, these "eco" roofs are equally as durable and capable of withstanding the weathering forces that any roof must face. For the most part, the roofs are their own systems, designed to work with the next layer up from the decking and the next layer down (usually, eaves and overhangs) to keep water from entering the structure. They also help in expelling air from the attic and allowing for convection currents in the walls to work.
Investing in sustainable roofing materials is not merely an attempt to satisfy today's requirements; it is an effort to equip buildings for the future. Legislation and building codes increasingly focus on sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. Having an ENERGY STAR-rated roof, for example, is a step in the right direction. Voting with our wallets for environmentally conscious businesses is another way to reduce the carbon footprint associated with construction. As the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) summarizes, "Sustainable construction requires using materials that have been obtained, processed, and manufactured in ways that minimize adverse effects on the environment." Sustainable roofing materials not only help mitigate the adverse effects associated with the carbon-intensive construction process. They often do a better job of protecting the building and a longer-lasting, higher-performance roof can be a more cost-effective choice in the end.
