Trends in Roofing Sustainability and the Lessons Learned in Denver

This presentation initially took place at the 2020 Region V Meeting.

Since the early 2000s, the building industry has been evolving to include more stringent provisions relative to sustainable construction. In its infancy, most of this trend focused on energy-hogging MEP systems. However, as MEP systems have become more efficient, the “green” focus has expanded to include other methods of achieving “better” buildings, including green and cool roofs. The trend of cities adopting requirements for green and cool roofs (and all the associated provisions that come along) has a major effect on the way the industry designs, constructs, maintains, and replaces roofing systems. Understanding the general trends associated with these changes—including the spread of the adoption, the influence of the public on this process, and the incorporation of other technologies, such as solar and rainwater catchment—is imperative for proper maintenance and replacement of existing roofs. However, as these trends emerge, they also bring to light a serious question of whether our current strategies are truly sustainable at all, or if a more “back-to-basics” approach to roofing sustainability might serve buildings better. The lessons learned in the continuing evolution of Denver’s Green Buildings Ordinance provide numerous examples of how these trends affect our industry, and ways that well-intentioned “sustainability” provisions can have unintentional consequences. A clear understanding of these concepts will enable us to provide the best service to our communities, and to become proactively involved in shaping the future of our industry.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the basic history and general adoption trend of green and cool roof provisions.
2. Learn the current trends accompanying the adoption of green and cool roof requirements, such as the expansion of the adoption, the involvement of the public, and the incorporation of solar and rainwater catchment systems in these requirements.
3. Evaluate the true sustainable merits of green and cool roof requirements.
4. Learn some “back-to-basics” sustainability approaches which can be applied successfully in all climates to improve our built environment

Kade Gromowski, PE, RRC, RWC

Terracon | Wheat Ridge, CO

After graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s and master’s of architectural engineering, Ms. Gromowski began her career in Houston before relocating to the Denver area in 2014. She brings over eight years of experience in the fields of building enclosure and structural assessment and repair design to Terracon. She has worked on projects involving the assessment and repair of roofing systems (steep-slope and low-slope), wall claddings, waterproofing, plazas, and building enclosure testing and diagnostics. She has also performed structural assessments, analysis of existing structures for change-of-use or alteration, parking garage assessment and repair design, and design of structural alteration and repair to concrete, steel, masonry, and wood structures. She predominantly works with existing structures, where she focuses on assessing existing assemblies, designing repairs for deterioration and deficiencies, and performing construction administration and quality assurance during the implementation of the designed repairs.

Dustin T. Smoot, RRC, RRO, CDT, Legacy LEED

Terracon | Wheat Ridge, CO

Mr. Smoot’s background includes over 20 years of building enclosure experience. He has performed assessments on over 16 million square feet of roofing. He has been involved in projects in various capacities, including roofing systems, wall claddings, glazed assemblies, waterproofing, and building enclosure diagnostics. Mr. Smoot has performed a wide variety of building diagnostic assessments and has prepared and reviewed design documents related to roofing replacement, building enclosure refurbishment, and associated building enclosure remediation work. He has provided peer review of construction documents associated with building design and remedial repair/restoration. He has also provided full consulting, project design for bidding, contract administration, and quality assurance on a wide variety of projects across nearly all market sectors.