Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1295215
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0 | 27 Metal Roofing/Cladding P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY EL EM E X Metal roofing and cladding experts welcome the challenge of innovative design by ROBIN BRUNET Weathering The Storm T he government-imposed lock- downs to curtail the spread of COVID-19 may have wrecked the world economy, but the construction sector overall in Canada weathered the storm far better than many other indus- tries. In fact, members of the Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia (RCABC) were as busy as ever, according to Doug Wells, one of the association's RoofStar technical advisors. The reason, he explains, is "A lot of projects that might normally have been postponed were given the green light, and because schools closed due to COVID- 19 we got an advance jump on roof replacements." Wells concedes that operating under virus safety rules have been challenging. "Gone are the days, at least for the foreseeable future, of borrowing a part- ner's tools or taking a swig from his water bottle; but all our members have bought into the importance of staying safe on the job, and companies have gone out of their way to keep their workers safe. As a result, our job numbers may in fact exceed the norm. Better still, we anticipate this level of production throughout the year and into 2021, most definitely with regards to renovation and infrastructure development." The RCABC has developed enhanced architec- tural sheet metal roof (ASM) standards in response to new trends in metal roofing, the most nota- ble of which are low slope sheet metal panel roofs that, due to their extremely modest pitch, require advanced waterproofing standards in order to perform as intended. "These roofs are almost flat with often just a one to six ratio," says Wells, refer- ring to the University of British Columbia's Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (designed by Formline Architecture and installed by Marine Roofing 1996 Ltd.) as a prime example. "Architects have persistently been driving down the pitch of roofs over the years, and it's been our job to develop leak-proof standards to support the RoofStar Guarantee program. "Whereas with steep roofs one-millimetre self- adhered or synthetic membranes are used between the decks and panels, we require a three millimetre membrane for low slope roofs as well as a breathable slip sheet membrane if insulation is above the deck. On top of this slip sheet is placed an entangled mesh air layer to enable condensation drying or draining, and the clips used in the roof assembly have to be elevated on a neoprene pad to self-seal around the fasteners and maintain the air space." Wells stresses that RCABC and its member con- tractors welcome architects pushing the envelope in roof design. "In turn, we're challenged to push our standards, and the results are incredibly beautiful, functional roofs," he says. Sean Lepper, VP and general manager of Behlen Industries, has similar good news to report about his company in the topsy-turvy world of 2020. "We're doing not too badly at all," he says. "We were lucky in that we had a good backlog of work. Moving forward, the agricultural sector we serve is strong, and so is Solstex plate cladding from Elemex.