Disaster Risk
Designing for Climate Change
by Richard K. Olson, President & Technical Director, Tile Roofing Industry Alliance
(Editor’s Note: Richard K. Olson is president and technical director for the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance. The association represents industry professionals involved in the manufacturing and installation of concrete and clay tile roofs in the United States and Canada, and works with national, state, and local building officials to develop installation techniques, codes, and standards for better roofing systems. Olson can be reached at rolson@tileroofing.org.)
As native Oregonians, we have enjoyed growing up and raising our family in the majestic beauty of the Willamette Valley with its green forest, clean rivers, and a mild climate year around. Unfortunately, the last decade is changing our world. Despite what side of the climate change discussion you align with, there is no question the change in weather patterns is affecting the entire United States with significant damage and record insurance events.
Historically our shorter wildfire season in Oregon has peaked in mid-August without serious events. This year we already have more than 1.3 million acres blackened or ablaze, leading to a potentially record year. Currently we have 34 large fires burning with five of them spread over 100,000 acres each. I joked with a group of design professionals that my Watch Duty Fire App sends me more daily fire alerts than Facebook this year. It is truer than fiction. Watching the heavy rains from tropical storms in the East, tornados in the Midwest, and the wildfires in the West, our weather patterns are generating catastrophic events in numbers greater than ever before. This creates skyrocketing insurance rates, policy cancellations in some high-risk areas and challenged code officials seeking higher standards of construction. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida was faced with such devastation, the entire Florida building code was revised. By the 1998 code cycle the improved practices reflected significant increase in performance in the 2004-06 Hurricane events.
As a design professional I believe we are now in a time of opportunity to help move the needle in performance for upgraded building performance countrywide. The ability to specify upgraded material choices and construction practices in our designs will help. For our roofing tile industry, we are part of the steep slope markets.
As the Tile Roofing Industry (TRI) Alliance we continue to track fire performance for steep slope roof applications. With the wildfire urban interface areas rapidly expanding into even urban areas, as design professionals we need to review our approach for including upgraded options. We know large fires create actual firestorms that rapidly move through the vegetative fuel. Most often a building structure has little defense in such situations, but in areas on the perimeter of the fires, where embers and lower wind can occur, the design of roof and venting systems can help. As the TRI Alliance, we have always advocated for a Class A roofing product as part of the Class A roofing assembly for the greatest protection. As a design professional we need to look at the component and assembly for proper callouts for installation. Not all Class A products are a Class A assembly unless they have other components to get them there. We should review each product we use on a project for how it contributes to make an improved performance.
We continue to work with the design community on non-combustible deck applications. Once considered necessary for essential and fire rated commercial buildings they are gaining popularity in higher fire areas.
How and where we locate ventilation in fire areas is important. Soffit vents that allow embers to enter can be a source of ignition. Consider working with the ventilation manufacturers for new and improved methods for fire areas.
Consider reducing intrusion areas for embers through additional flashings, closures, and weather blocking options. New science and modeling are showing the ability for smaller particles to retain heat even with wind making the impact areas even larger during an event. For steep slope consider step flashing versus pan flashings to help keep embers on top of the cladding. Look at any roof penetration for ways to provide secondary top flashings to reduce potential entry.
Include an approved written mandatory yearly maintenance program in your building designs. It is imperative in fire areas. The debris in our valleys, around roof penetrations, hips, and eaves should be cleaned and inspected every year prior to the start of summer.
This annual inspection should include the defensible space around a building. Mature plants, trees, and other sources of fuel are the number one source of ignition. Increasing the space or adding more fire resistive materials to our landscape is important.
In the Eastern part of the United States affected by frequent winds, we are reviewing potential upgraded installation systems for our roofing tiles to provide additional safety factors. By going above code minimums on underlayments, fastening, and perimeter areas, we can positively affect roof performance. Once thought of as just a Southeast Florida issue, we are looking at the surrounding states based upon the events of the last decade. By looking at the field evidence of eaves, hips, and ridges, we can help improve design performance using above code practices in areas beyond Florida.
Where once a major cost factor, we find building owners are very receptive to upgraded systems, especially on fastening if it will provide greater performance long term. For instance, the TRI Alliance member producers have gone to a two screw only in the gulf coast of Texas. While significantly more than required, it provides a uniform method of application, with a maximum resistance that we can easily reference in our contractor-training program for Texas. It is also easier for the design professional having one standard method. As design and roofing professionals there is the opportunity to work with the tile manufacturers for upgraded systems for the wind, hail, fire, and snow regions.
As your project progresses, we need to follow through with inspections as a priority on job scheduling. Your call out details should specify all the components required. Inspections should include layout phase, dry in, mid install, and final inspections to ensure our contractor is properly installing the roof. Too often, the inspection comes after the completion where it is challenging to know how the crucial areas were installed.
The TRI Alliance and our members continue to hold discussions with the insurance industry. We are hopeful we can be an active voice to identify improved roofing systems that can benefit all concerned for what the climate is bringing.
I know for me, having the ability to help reduce the impact and save more dwellings of families moving forward is worth the effort.
