Winning a Metal Roofing Alliance 2020 Best Residential Metal Roofing award and an MCA Chairman’s Award, four structures at the Olympus residence in Austin showcase the sustainability and aesthetics of metal roofing.

“The house sits at the bottom of a hill, so their roof is the first thing you see as you drive up,” explains Joel Kenty, CFP, CLU, ChFC, Partner – Business Development, Green Knight Metal Roofing, whose Austin-based company installed 7,500 square feet of standing seam roofing for the project. “The client wanted a ‘wow’ factor for their roof and worked with the architect Bercy Chen Studio on the design.”

What emerged was trendy curved roof which inverts halfway through the approximately 70-foot-long by 30-foot-wide steel, double-lock paneled material. The McElroy Metal Hyperbolic, Parabolic roof incorporates a thinner, 12-inch flat pan roof, instead of the standard 16-inch width. This was done to prevent oil canning and more optimally seam the double lock.

The panels were roll formed on-site and immediately installed with a clip system. Because the fasteners are raised above the level of the metal roofing, this resulted in fewer seams, and a more aesthetic, durable installation.

Metal roofs are quite popular in the Austin area with the influence of the region’s farm houses and barns spreading to the city. While the homeowner desired the material’s sustainability, the family wasn’t interested in the Texas barn metal look, which is why they chose to collaborate with the architect to create a sleek design.

Made from recycled materials and fully recyclable at the end of a long life, the panels incorporate a Kynar coating to reflect harmful UV rays and cool down the attic space. “Metal roofing generally saves between 20 percent and 40 percent on homeowners’ cooling costs,” notes Kenty.

The coating also enhanced the roofing system’s longevity and ability to withstand Austin’s hail, thunderstorms and intense summer heat.

The alternative, asphalt shingles, would have created an adverse effect, absorbing heat and increasing the attic’s temperature. Asphalt also has a very short lifespan, usually ends up in the landfill and as a petroleum product, is not good for the environment.

“The gorgeous roofs featured in this project are truly an architectural highlight of the home,” said MRA Executive Director Renee Ramey. “No other roofing material would have been able to achieve this incredible design, and best of all, it met all the goals the homeowners had for lessening their impact on the environment.”