Retrofitting with metal panels can bring your design dreams to life with a wide variety of colors and textures – including your brand colors. If there’s a look you’re pursuing, odds are metal can make it happen!
Category Archives: Retrofit
Why Remove When You Can Retrofit?
MCA’s New Metal Roof Installation Manual: An Essential Tool for Anyone Working with Metal Roofs
By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association
Using the right tools is key to getting any job done correctly. Contractors and installers who work with metal roofs know how important it is to have the right seamer or a quality screw gun. And architects and specifiers know how important it is to have a good architectural scale and the most current reference manuals.
If you work with metal roofing, MCA has another essential tool for your toolkit: the new Metal Roof Installation Manual. Now available at MetalConstruction.com in the Technical Resources section, this new manual offers 20 chapters of best practices, tips and training for installing metal roofs. The manual covers a full range of useful information about installing metal roofs, including:
- Introductory information about roofing materials
- Panel types, attributes and profiles
- Roof deck substrates
- Safety
- Sealants and Fasteners
- Maintenance
- Re-Roofing
Download your copy of the MCA Metal Roof Installation Manual today, and keep the document handy as a reference as you come across questions with your metal roof project. It’ll soon become an essential tool in your toolbox.
And the best part about this tool? It’s free!
Visit MCA at the International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas
We’re excited to be heading to Las Vegas next week for the International Roofing Expo (IRE). If you’re at the show, we hope you’ll stop by and visit us in booth #2341. We’ll be at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from Wednesday, February 26 through Friday, February 28. We’d enjoy meeting you, and look forward to answering any questions you might have about metal roofing.
Many MCA members will also be exhibiting at IRE next week, as well. Stop by their booths to see the exciting products and services that they offer.
Exhibitor Name Member Category Booth Number
ABC Supply Co., Inc. Distributor 1423
Arkema, Inc. Manufacturer 562
ATAS International, Inc. Manufacturer 2242
BASF Corporation Insulation Mfr 925
Drexel Metals Distributor 2437
Englert, Inc. Manufacturer 1037
Fabral Manufacturer 2135
Firestone Building Products Manufacturer 1813
GSSI Sealants, Inc. Accessories 2154
MBCI Manufacturer 2121
McElroy Metal Manufacturer 2349
Metal Construction News Publication 2336
Metal Roofing Magazine Publication 2141
Metal Sales Manufacturing Manufacturer 2127
Metalforming, Inc. Equipment Mfr 1436
Petersen Aluminum Corp. Manufacturer 842
RHEINZINK America, Inc. Distributor 1722
Roof Hugger Accessories 742
SFS intec, Inc. Accessories 1727
Sheffield Metals International Distributor 2259
TAMKO Building Products, Inc. Manufacturer 525
Triangle Fastener Corporation Accessories 2131
We hope to see you in Las Vegas!
In Atlanta, Grab a Moment of Zinc
By: Jane Martinsons, Metal Construction Association
While in Atlanta attending METALCON on Oct 1–3, you may want to check out the recently renovated and expanded Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church. The sanctuary’s new roof features flat lock zinc panels by Umicore Building Products USA., Inc., to help bridge the existing building’s mid-century architecture and its modern chapel features.
According to project architect Bob Balke of TVS Design, Atlanta, zinc was selected to replace an existing asphalt shingle roof because of its longevity and clean, authentic appearance. As one of the few metals to naturally develop a protective patina, zinc also
• promotes a lengthy structural lifespan through its ability to withstand harsh elements
• “self-heals” imperfections, which keeps the metal looking better longer
• is recyclable at the end of its useful life.
While there, be sure to note the complex roof slopes and valleys, and gutters at the prow of the roof. (Zinc gutters formed by using masked stainless steel clips conceal the gutter system.) Other notable features include the sanctuary’s exposed steel structure, structural red oak wood in the decking and ceiling, an aluminum veneer curtain wall system, and a continuous ribbon vaulted skylight.
Once inspired, it’s time to head back to the show to network with colleagues and learn more about the latest in metal. See you there!
“Cool” Roof Retrofit Earns Praise for Energy Efficiency
By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association
Sometimes the word “cool” can be a bit overused–but not in the case of this recent metal roof retrofit project with the U.S. Air Force’s Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. This roof is cool–both literally and figuratively.
In 2010, a team of leading metal construction companies and the Metal Construction Association (MCA) were awarded a $1 million Environmental Security Technologies Certification Program (ESTCP) grant to develop a retrofit metal roof system with integrated renewable energy technologies, including an integrated assembly of six different roofing system components.
View the video above or read MCA’s case study to learn more about the project’s energy-efficient technologies, which include photovoltaics to generate electricity, solar-thermal technologies for domestic hot water and space heating, and rainwater capture for irrigation.
The Department of Energy’s Oakridge National Laboratory will soon be analyzing a full year’s worth of data on heat transfer, energy output from the photovoltaic panels and water usage from the building. MCA expects that the results will be positive, and the Air Force reports that preliminary numbers how a 44-percent reduction in energy consumption.
Stay tuned for the full report and results in the coming months from this “cool” project.
Shipping Containers Find New Life in Metal Construction
By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association
Fortune Magazine recently featured a story about Starbucks’ use of shipping containers in the design of their new drive-through coffee shops. According to Fortune, a good portion of the 900 or so drive-through locations that Starbucks plans to build in the next five years will be made using retrofitted metal shipping containers.
The use and repurposing of metal shipping containers in construction is a growing trend, even though they are not always less expensive than other manufacturing methods. And re-using a metal shipping container that would otherwise be destined for the scrap heap can make a statement about sustainability, especially when used with other “green” building efficiencies.
MCA’s 2012 Chairman’s Award Winner in the Education-Colleges & Universities category is a creative example of how shipping containers can be used in construction. The project, a student center for Monterrey Technical University in Juarez, Mexico, was designed by Ruben Escobar, a graduate of MTU and principle at the architecture firm Grupo ARKHOS.
The student center uses 14 metal shipping containers to make a 7,000 sq. ft. space for students to interact socially. With exposed metal making up 80% of the new building’s structure, Escobar integrated a metal skin composed of Reynobond composite aluminum panels around the building’s entrance. The 4-mm panels from Alcoa Architectural Products proved to be a perfect complement to the shipping containers, and also were chosen for their durability.
Not only is the new building constructed primarily of recycled materials, but it also is designed to keep cooling costs low. An outdoor paint scheme that uses automotive paint mixed with ceramic nanospheres helps repel the desert sun’s rays, and a series of aluminum and glass garage doors open up to provide natural ventilation about 8 months out of the year.
It is estimated that there are more than 17 million shipping containers in the world today. Because the United States imports far more than it exports, there is a surplus of empty shipping containers in this country. Metal shipping container-inspired architecture is just one way to give new life and purpose to these resources.
Kriner to Present at Energy Efficient Roofing Conference on April 8
Attending the Energy Efficient Roofing Conference in Charlotte, NC, next week? Don’t miss Scott Kriner’s presentation on the integrated energy efficient metal roof retrofit system at Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, TX.
“This Department of Defense (DOD) demonstration project is a result of the $1 million Environmental Security Technology Certification Program grant, which was awarded to a team of industry professionals representing metal roofing, retrofitting, solar technologies, insulation, and the Metal Construction Association (MCA),” said Kriner, MCA technical director. Results of the installation are expected later this year.
Kriner will be presenting on Monday, April 8, from 3:50–4:10 pm. At 4:30 pm he will serve as a panelist in a Q&A session.
Metal Construction Blogs Provide Valuable Perspective
By Cathy Szmurlo, Metal Construction Association
Several members of the Metal Construction Association, which consists of manufacturers and suppliers of metal roof and wall components, have jumped on the blogging band wagon. By adding their input on products, projects, industry issues and current events to the blogosphere, these companies are providing a valuable resource to architects and building owners. We hope you’ll check out these members’ blogs for additional insights, and add them to your reading list:
- Alpolic Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America – Descriptions of company case studies, news and projects as well as views on compelling metal architecture, design and sustainability projects.
- American Iron and Steel Institute – Institute news and viewpoints on national and international issues affecting the steel industry.
- Classic Metal Roofing Systems – Issues and benefits regarding metal roofing for residential building projects.
- Copper Development Association – News and views regarding the use of copper in specific industry categories, including building construction.
- Drexel Metals — Photos and videos along with viewpoints on company metal roofing products and projects.
- Englert – Metal roof and wall panel project commentary and insight on industry issues.
- Kingspan – News and winning entries for Generation Kingspan™ Student Architectural Competition – a competition for students of architecture.
- MBCI – Insights on metal roofing and wall issues such as the green movement, LEED, solar roofing and PV.
- Metal Construction News – Industry news and views from publication staff.
- Metalforming USA – Company and industry news from architectural machinery manufacturer.
- Metalmag – Metal construction industry viewpoints from online magazine.
- Miller Clapperton – Company, project and business opinion from this MCM fabricator.
- Petersen Aluminum – Descriptive project articles and photos on a variety of company metal roofing projects.
- Rigid Global Buildings – Company news and events from this metal building, roof and wall panel manufacturer.
DOD + Metal Retrofit = Energy Efficiency
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) is a leader in energy efficiency for good reason—it is mandated to reduce energy use on its properties by 30% by 2015 and by another 37.5% by 2020. Three years ago, a team of leading metal construction companies and the Metal Construction Association (MCA) were awarded a $1 million grant to develop a retrofit metal roof system for a DOD building with integrated renewable energy technologies. Today, Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX, boasts a retrofit metal roofing system that integrates a host of solar energy-saving technologies and the ability to capture rainwater for irrigation purposes. View the case study of the project for more complete information.
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is monitoring the building’s temperature and heat information. According to Scott Kriner, MCA technical director, both the DOD and the project team “are confident that this integrated retrofit roof system will perform as predicted and allow for the technology to be transferred throughout the DOD, to other federal agencies, and into the commercial-building sector.”
ORNL should be completing a year-long study of the building’s energy data in 2013 to quantify the impact of the metal roof retrofit project. Stay tuned–we will post more information to this site as it becomes available.
Metal Construction Association Blog 