Thursday 26 March 2015

ROOFING MATERIAL IN ITS DIVERSITY


 ROOFING MATERIAL IN ITS DIVERSITY

Many kinds of roofs have taken shape over the years. Flat roofs are utilized for commercial and domestic segments and in multi-storey buildings. For industrial structures inclined roofs are fitted. For aesthetic appeal domes roofs are good.

Most people usually overlook the roof when looking at a house. Around 25 to 30 percent of the complete cost of construction is normally spent on the roof. Economical solutions for different varieties of roofs, such as flat, pitches and arched type of roof, are being developed by engineers.

Some commonly used materials for roofs are corrugated galvanized iron sheets and color coated metal sheets that have the drawback of being rather noisy. They also need much upkeep as they tend to corrode in very humid places.

There is a great range of materials for constructing roofs. The important criteria when selecting a roofing material are maintenance, structural economy, durability, safety and aesthetics. Clay tiles, fibre cement sheets, colour coated metal sheets, aluminium corrugated sheets and reinforced cement concrete (RCC) is traditionally used and constitutes more than 50 percent of the market but it is not suitable for sloping roofs.

An architect says that RCC is commonly chosen for residential use but this slowly changing as other better options are available like Eternia and Colour coated Galvanized sheets etc. Architects in major metropolitan cities use more of a steel framework of pre-fabricated sheets that are filled with RCC. This gives quick setting roofing as against the traditional RCC material. It is an asbestos free fibre cement product that gives safety to the labourer by using polypropylene strips. These strips are a safety device for the labourer in case the roof cracks. It has a coating of a highly durable pure acrylic for long term use. Colours like terracotta red, green, off white and natural grey are available in this.

People today value time above all things and desire to complete construction work say within a period of six months. Therefore, they do not mind experimenting with new materials. When concern for the environment becomes of utmost importance in coming years, building structure will be lighter and quicker to build.

In Western countries inclined roofs are gaining  in popularity and look more attractive with vivid colours like terracotta, red and green. It is simpler to maintain them as flat roofs have the disadvantage of water collecting in the rains creating problems of drainage and mosquitoes. Wanting quick construction is the basic reason for experimentation with new materials.  

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