Introduction to Sustainable Roof Technologies

Roofs account for one of the largest areas of imperviousness on a site. Impermeable roofs impact storm water quality and quantity, air quality, the urban heat island effect, and the energy needs of the building. This interactive webcast focuses on how we can potentially rethink how we build our roofs to ensure energy efficient buildings, harness energy from the sun to help us reduce our reliance on fossil fuels (nonrenewable energy), manage storm water as a resource, increase air and water quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of sustainable roof technologies including: vegetative roofs, photovoltaic roof applications, cool reflective approaches, recycled or bio-based content roofs, or some combination thereof. Focus of learning includes the benefits and limitations of sustainable roofs and the potential of technological advancements in sustainable roof design. We will conclude with creative applications and site selection and placement considerations of sustainable roofs.

At the conclusion of the course you will be able to:

• Understand the environmental and economic impacts of sustainable roofs
• Comprehend the fundamentals of different types of sustainable roofs (i.e., green roofs, cool roofs, energy harnessing roofs)
• Recite concepts on how to design a building to limit amount of impermeable areas as well as expand the usefulness of the roof space
• Comprehend the current limitations of sustainable roofs (i.e., initial costs, maintenance)
• Comprehend the importance of site selection, placement, and type of sustainable roofing applications