Believe it or not, membrane roofs can make a visual statement, yet many architects aren’t familiar with the design possibilities. Membrane has traditionally been classified as a ‘functional’ material for flat roofs — especially for those that are hidden from the ground. Accordingly, they have tended to be available in just black, white or grey. Viking Roofspec’s Enviroclad membrane system, with its portfolio of proprietary weldable accessories, gives architects the ability to design for all shapes, sizes and colours which is especially helpful for visible membrane roofs.

Available in a range of attractive earthy colours developed to add extra flair to a surface and complement other natural construction materials such as timber, stone or copper, Enviroclad membrane can be dressed with matching TPO-weldable ribs to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the roof.

These ribs, which simply heat-weld onto the membrane once the waterproofing has been complete, can be laid out in any pattern (eg: spoke-wheeled or parallel) and spaced at any interval — obviously assuming watershed isn’t compromised by the layout.

Projects recently completed include:

• An architectural home on the island beach front in a salt spray zone, where the architect wanted the wide-seam tray look, but without the hassle of corrosion associated with many metal roofs.
• A new commercial building roof shaped and coloured like an autumn leaf (brown Enviroclad with the vein detail created by TPO weldable ribs).
• A lakeside home with a deteriorating visible steel roof, which was replaced with Viking Enviroclad, with matching TPO-weldable ribs to create a modern wide-trough steel tray look.
• An old failing zinc tray roof system was replaced with a Viking warm roof system with weldable ribs, therefore maintaining the zinc standing seam aesthetic.
• Viking Enviroclad was used to illuminate an arc on a church design. The inclusion of weldable ribs was incorporated to encourage watershed and add an element of finesse.

Not only did these building owners significantly increase the waterproofing integrity of their home, but they also made a visual statement — a statement not normally synonymous with membrane roofing.

For more information on Viking Coloured Enviroclad TPO its range of weldable accessories, please visit the Viking Roofspec website.