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Protected Membrane Roofs Offer Flexibility and Efficiency

Commercial building owners are increasingly looking to balance building construction costs with long term energy-efficient and ecologically friendly design features.

Features such as green roofs and warm roofs, while frequently specified, are often excluded from final designs during the consent process. This is because architects are specifying traditional roofing membranes that are not designed or suitable for the application they are being used in, and New Zealand has been traditionally slow in taking up new technology and building practices that are common overseas. An example of this is the Protected Membrane Roof (PMR).

When it comes to low sloped roofs there are two basic systems, the membrane can be exposed or it can be protected. Most roofs in New Zealand are exposed membrane roofs, and while in some applications this is perfectly acceptable (or even a better solution), there are many cases where a PMR roof is a far better solution.

A good example of this is the ASB North Wharf building. Jasmax approached Allco Waterproofing to provide a specification, and it quickly became apparent that the client had very high expectations around energy efficiency and durability. After looking at traditional solutions, it was decided that the best solution for the project was a PMR roof with ILD (International Leak Detection).

Some of the advantages that a PMR roof has over a traditional membrane roof include:

  • Long term cost savings
  • Longer time between tear offs
  • 0° pitch roofs (Hydrotech only)
  • Efficiency during construction
  • Greater design flexibility
  • Protection from trades (eg. HVAC)
  • Protection form wind uplift and UV
  • The membrane can also be ILD or flood-tested before insulating and ballasting
  • Can easily transition between stone ballast, pavers and green roof

Allco Waterproofing has a number of PMR solutions to suit every application including the world renown Hydrotech Monolithic Membrane.

View the video above 'Protected Membrane Roof (PMR): An Innovative Solution for Michigan State University' or watch it on youtube.

View more information on Allco Waterproofing Solutions, including contact details.
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