Sustainable and green building standards and codes rapidly are
being developed at national and state levels. The U.S. Green
Building Council recently released LEED 3.0; ASHRAE is developing
189.1,"Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings
Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings"; the International Code
Council (ICC) and National Association of Home Builders promulgated
the National Green Building Standard for residential buildings; the
ICC has begun developing a green building code for commercial
buildings; and various cities and states have developed their own
green building codes.
The development and implementation of these codes, which follow
sustainable and green building trends in general, are driving the
construction industry's product development and research. In many
instances, new standards and information regarding low-slope roof
system performance are needed to address the requirements being
implemented. SPRI, an association representing single-ply roof
membrane manufacturers and component suppliers, has taken a
leadership role in addressing those needs.
Vegetative roof systems are gaining popularity in North America
because of environmental benefits associated...
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