Conclusion
When a designer elects to specify a particular roofing manufacturer and assembly, it is important to verify the system has a code compliance report appropriate for the applicable code in place for the project. If the designer does not specify a particular manufacturer and assembly, the installer should be required to submit a current code compliance report. The designer should then verify during the submittal review process the system materials, design configuration, load capacities, and installation requirements from the manufacturer are consistent with the design intent and submitted code compliance report.
Manufacturers must obtain updated code compliance reports for roofing assemblies that have been tested and confirmed to meet the minimum building code requirements. The manufacturer must also publish current installation instructions consistent with the tested and approved assemblies listed in the code report and make them available to the installers.
The roofing installer should identify inconsistencies between the contract documents, the installation instructions, and code compliance reports and seek clarification prior to installing a roofing assembly that does not conform with the code. The installer must then furnish and install the assembly in strict accordance with the appropriate manufacturer’s installation instructions and any specific requirements listed in the code reports, such as the specified substrate, components, and attachment methods.
The code compliance reports must be intimately understood by all parties in the design and construction process. Without understanding and strictly adhering to these fundamental design and construction procedures centered around the code compliance reports, the roofing system provided to the building owner and its occupants may not meet the minimum standards required by the building code.
Trevor M. Weilbach, PE, is a project engineer with WDP & Associates Consulting Engineers. He has four years of experience working on a variety of buildings in different phases of their service lives. Weilbach manages water infiltration investigations and performs repair designs to address as-built deficiencies. He has been involved in several roofing-related projects, including those centered on low- and steep-slope systems. Weilbach’s projects have ranged from higher education to single- and multifamily residential. He can be reached via e-mail at tweilbach@wdpa.com.
J. Eric Peterson, PE, is principal of WDP & Associates Consulting Engineers. His more than 25 years of experience consist of various structural, material, and architectural engineering activities, specializing in building enclosure and roofing systems, nondestructive testing and design, and repair of concrete and masonry structures. Peterson performs a wide variety of building investigations, as well as structural inspection, analysis, and design, construction document development, and peer reviews of building enclosure systems related to waterproofing and roofing designs. He has been previously admitted as an expert witness for roofing-related disputes and has offered expert testimony in roof litigation projects. Peterson can be reached via e-mail at epeterson@wdpa.com.
