Sustainable Facility - February 2009 - (Page 14) spotlight DURO-LAST ROOFING White = Green: The Duro-Last Cool Zone Roofing System. The bright white Duro-Last Cool Zone membrane has an established history of providing “green-ness” to commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings throughout North America. REDUCING LIFE-CYCLE COSTS Electricity costs continue to escalate, and this trend is largely responsible for driving a significant market shift toward energy-efficient roofing systems. • Cool roofs are effective in virtually all climates. Building owners in some areas have seen a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption during peak times of the year after installing reflective roofing systems. • In non-conditioned space, reflective roofing can reduce workspace heat, improving working conditions and increasing employee productivity. • The Cool Zone membrane reflects rays of the sun that are absorbed by other systems, which can degrade the effectiveness of insulation and other building components – often leading to higher operating and maintenance costs. • A cool, reflective white membrane can decrease rooftop HVAC cooling loads as well as unit wear and corresponding maintenance costs. The Cool Zone roofing system may also enable the use of smaller, lower-cost HVAC units. than 20 years. A Cool Zone roof will last longer in harsh environments than many other systems. Durable roofs require less frequent replacement, reducing the burden on landfill space and raw materials for new roofing systems. • The Cool Zone membrane is lightweight, so it can often be installed over existing roofing systems, eliminating costly and land-filling tear-offs. It also requires less fuel to transport to the job site than other heavier materials. BEST SYSTEM UNDER VEGETATIVE ROOFS A growing trend in the commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings market is turning “forgotten” rooftops into usable space. Vegetative roofs are gaining a foothold in this area. • All rooftop garden systems require a reliable waterproofing membrane underneath. Duro-Last’s prefabrication approach eliminates up to 85 percent of rooftop seaming and means less potential for future leaks – a major consideration when the membrane will be covered with a rooftop garden. • The Cool Zone membrane is lightweight, and only marginally adds to the overall weight of the complete garden system, which can weigh up to 30 pounds per square foot. • The cost of the roofing membrane component is minimal compared with the cost of the entire vegetative roofing system. Installing a new Cool Zone roof on the deck prior to installing the garden system is a sensible investment From lowering a building’s energy consumption to helping facilities obtain LEED credits to reducing the urban heat island effect, the Cool Zone roofing system is a leading building sustainability product. For more information, visit www.duro-last.com. ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY • Manufacturing scrap is recycled back into the roofing membrane or other materials. Plus, Duro-Last has implemented a roof recycling program for PVC membranes that are at the end of their roofing lives. • A reduction in energy consumption provided by the Cool Zone membrane may provide economic benefits for building owners interested in reducing their carbon footprint. • The term “sustainability” implies long-term performance, and many Duro-Last roofs have been performing effectively for more 14 S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y F E B R UARY 200 9 http://www.duro-last.com
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