A PDF of the Annual Roofing Survey can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
Key findings of the roofing survey
- Respondents named metal (56%) and EPDM (50%) as the roofing systems they (or their firms) employed most in projects. However, the results show that they used a wide variety of roofing types, including built-up, shakes and shingles, modified bitumen, TPO, PVC, and tiles.
- Insulation choice was also spread among several product categories, with polyisocyanurate leading the way (62%) and EPS, XPS, and sprayed polyurethane foam also showing support.
- More than half of respondents (53%) said their roofing projects were essentially all low-slope jobs (2/12 rise or less), but nearly a third (31%) said steep-slope roofs (>2/12 rise) comprised all or almost all of their roofing-related projects.
- New construction and retrofits were fairly evenly split among respondents’ roofing-related projects over the last couple of years.
- Initial cost is not the most important factor in choosing a roofing system. That honor went to durability and reliability, at least from the experience of respondents and their perception of their clients’ priorities.
- In a related finding, it is not surprising that “leaks or failures” (42%) was the single biggest concern or worry expressed by respondents, along with such related factors as “quality/performance” (17%) and “incorrect installation” (11%). Again, cost was not the key concern, with only 13% of respondents checking it as their number one worry.
- In terms of “green” factors, energy efficiency (52%) is far and away the crucial component of a roofing system, followed distantly by life cycle cost (25%).
- Building information modeling is still largely in its infancy in respondents’ roofing-related projects, with less than one-third (32%) saying that they used BIM. However, the use of BIM is expected to grow to about 59% over the next two years or so.
- Only a small percentage of respondents (4%) said they (or their firms) have made extensive use of photovoltaics on roofs in the last two years, but three in 10 (30%) had used PVs in a few projects. The upside is that 57% plan to do so in the next 18-24 months.
- Similarly, the extensive use of green vegetative roofs is limited (2%), but 23% of respondents (or their firms) have tried them in at least a few projects in the last two years, and 38% said they intend to do so in the next 18-24 months.
Survey Methodology
The survey was emailed to a representative sample of BD+C’s subscriber list. No incentive was offered; 263 qualified returns were obtained. The majority of responses (52%) came from architects and designers, a group that represents half of BD+C’s subscriber base; however, respondents were spread across the professions and included nearly one-fifth (18%) from among owners and facilities directors. In terms of location, respondents’ roofing-related projects covered the entire U.S. (and a bit in Canada), although the Mid-Atlantic region may have been underrepresented (8%). A margin of error of 6-7% at the 95% confidence level can be applied in most cases.
Note: Some of the tables refer to “Top % rank,” the percentage of respondents who rated the factor as their single most important factor. “Weighted score” was calculated by tripling the number of respondents who rated the factor #1, doubling those who rated the factor #2 by 2, multiplying by one those who rated the factor #3 by 1, and dividing the sum by three to obtain the average.
Download a PDF of the Annual Roofing Survey below
Related Stories
| Jul 29, 2016
AIRPORT FACILITIES GIANTS: Airports binge on construction during busy year for travel
Terminal construction will grow by nearly $1 billion this year, and it will keep increasing. Airports are expanding and modernizing their facilities to keep passengers moving.
| Jul 29, 2016
Top 35 Airport Terminal Architecture and A/E Firms
Corgan, HOK, and Gensler top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest airport terminal architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Architects | Jul 28, 2016
Connecting the dots: Architecture and design in a changing world
What do Tesla, Airbnb and Amazon have in common? They’re all shifting the paradigm for quality of life and the built environment, as CallisonRTKL senior associate VP Jayson Lee explains.
| Jul 26, 2016
ENGINEERING GIANTS: Firms continue to push innovation
Trends include 3D printing, modular hospitals, and fluid dampers.
| Jul 26, 2016
Top 80 Architecture/Engineering firms
Stantec, HOK, and Callison RTKL once again top Building Design+Construction's 2016 ranking of the largest architecture/engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 25, 2016
Top 35 Engineering/Architecture Firms
AECOM, Jacobs, and Thornton Tomasetti head Building Design+Construction's 2016 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 25, 2016
Top 100 Architecture Firms
Gensler surpasses $1.1 billion in revenue, topping Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest architecture firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 25, 2016
AIA selects seven winners of healthcare building design award
The National Healthcare Design Awards recognizes functional hospital projects that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns. Recipients were selected in three categories this year.
Industrial Facilities | Jul 25, 2016
Snøhetta, Bjarke Ingels among four finalists for S.Pellegrino bottling plant design
A committee will evaluate proposals in September.
Architects | Jul 22, 2016
5 creative approaches to finish standards
With the right mindset, standards can produce great design for healthcare facilities, as VOA's Candace Small explores.