Historically, commercial skylights have gotten a bad rap. "The old joke was: 'if it's not leaking now, it will be soon,'" says Brian Grohe, a 13-year vet of the skylight industry and a commercial sales manager at industry leader VELUX. Fortunately, technology has changed that old tune for the better, turning commercial skylights into a golden opportunity for roofing contractors.

Every roof is different, and that's especially true when comparing commercial vs residential roofing, also known as low-slope vs steep-slope roofing. Many roofing contractors start out installing residential roofs because they have a low cost of entry. The process requires minimal specialized equipment-most roofers are able to start out with a truck, a ladder, a nail gun, a compressor, and safety gear.

Up to 25 % of the United States experiences large hail episodes-and when they do, hail can cause severe damage to roofs and the HVAC equipment stored there. Hailstorms account for 70 % of the average annual property losses from severe convective storms in the US. Building owners can protect their buildings and equipment by designing their buildings and roofs to withstand the damage caused by large hailstones.

Introduction We all recognize that, when properly installed, TPO can be part of a well performing roof system. However, a very simple error made during installation can set up the membrane for future issues. This has been known since early installations of TPO roofs but somehow it has been forgotten about by many installers. What are we talking about here? The use of adhesive buckets along a fold that causes premature cracking of the membrane years after installation. Let's dig deeper.

Architects strive to achieve a roof design that strikes a delicate balance between aesthetics and performance. Achieving high-performance means incorporating the code, warranty, and guarantee requirements that building owners must meet - among the most important factors of any construction project - into design vision. This isn't made any easier by the sheer number of roofing systems available. Even experienced architects can find it challenging to get familiar with all available components and positively identify which materials are going to deliver the ultimate protection for the building.

These days, sustainability is a common term in the construction and architectural industries, found in discussions in trade magazines, professional journals, as well as in sales and advertising materials. Despite this, even many professionals are not certain about what characterizes truly "sustainable" buildings or what practical steps they can take to make them a reality. In this article we provide an overview of some useful frameworks, as well as the major topics, for building owners to consider when developing a sustainable building strategy.