Cold roofs? Warm roofs?
What’s the main difference between roof construction options? BRANZ explains the science to help you design better roofs.
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By Stephan Rupp – 1 February 2018, Build 164
What’s the main difference between roof construction options? BRANZ explains the science to help you design better roofs.
By Graeme Beattie – 1 August 2008, Build 107
Strong wind causes damage to houses, particularly their roofs. A recent BRANZ study started by defining ‘extreme winds’ before developing retrofit solutions to ensure roofs on older houses are adequately secured.
By Stephan Rupp, Dr Manfred Plagmann – 1 October 2020, Build 180, Feature article
BRANZ was called into a Dunedin school where too much ventilation caused excessive condensation in a large roof space. Understanding why this happened points to warm roofs being better in some locations.
By Stephan Rupp – 1 February 2016, Build 152, Feature article
Twenty years ago, roofs didn’t need to be specifically ventilated. Today, things are different. That’s because 21st century homes are more airtight, and if they aren’t aired, condensation may form.
By Lois Easton – 1 April 2008, Build 105, Feature article
Nine homes in a Porirua suburb were recently renovated to achieve greater sustainability. Monitoring continues this year to measure the results but some useful tips have already come from the project.
By Nicole Allen – 1 August 2022, Build 191
A local volcanic eruption is a substantial risk to the Auckland region. Research into the impact of multiple volcanic hazards on the roofs of buildings showed that they generally deal well with volcanic ash and flying rocks landing on them.
By Roland Alderton, Mike Way – 1 October 2020, Build 180, Feature article
Ventilation of cold roof designs in New Zealand doesn’t always go smoothly. Here, BRANZ physicists hand over to a couple of professional builders who have long been at the coalface dealing with roof moisture issues on their projects.
By Stephan Rupp – 1 December 2021, Build 187
BRANZ research has provided reassuring results for those wanting to add passive ventilation in roof cavities to counter condensation. Corrosion of metal fixings inside the roof space remains low, even in extreme marine environments.
By Dr Manfred Plagmann – 1 December 2016, Build 157, Feature article
BRANZ physicists have developed a useful calculation for designers to work out the minimum number and area of vents required in roof spaces.
By Matthew Curtis – 1 December 2014, Build 145, Feature article
Steel’s popularity as a structural element is rising, and there’s scope for more use of prefabrication. These are two of the trends BRANZ has identified for commercial building construction.