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
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Multifamily
Sustainably designed apartments are apples of developers’ eyes
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Higher Education
More and more colleges and universities see sustainainably designed buildings as a given
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: K-12
High-performance schools put ‘sustainability’ in the lesson plan
| Nov 7, 2012
John Portman & Associates awarded new high rise in China
108-story building to rise in Nanning, the Capital City of Guangxi Province.
| Nov 7, 2012
Two Thornton Tomasetti projects receive 2012 International Architecture Awards for Best Global Design
The awards, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Design, the European Center for Architecture Art Design, and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd., recognize excellence in architecture and urban planning.
| Nov 6, 2012
Honeywell donates first responder products for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts
Honeywell Humanitarian Relief Fund to provide aid to local employees affected by Hurricane Sandy.
| Nov 6, 2012
Uponor files patent infringement suit against Sioux Chief Manufacturing
Uponor is seeking damages and an injunction to prevent Sioux Chief from selling the PowerPEX F1960 Ring with Stop, which it believes violates Uponor’s patent.
| Nov 6, 2012
Simpson Strong-Tie donates $25K to hurricane support
The company will also be matching employees’ personal contributions to the Red Cross and other nonprofit disaster relief organizations.
| Nov 6, 2012
Goettsch Partners designs new tower in Shunde, China
200-meter-tall building will be located between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.