Fellow ARMA Members –
I recently had the pleasure to travel to Kansas City for the ARMA Committee meetings. The new meeting schedule allowed the committees and their members to attend other committee sessions and facilitated cross committee communications. This created a more dynamic meeting which, I believe, was of greater value to committee members and to ARMA. I encourage all ARMA member companies to take advantage of these terrific informative and engaging sessions along with networking with industry experts and peers!
Also, just this week, ARMA attended the kick-off meeting for the second round of the Washington State roofing panels testing of rain water runoff. In addition to testing for metals and PAHs, Washington State will also test the toxicity of the runoff. Testing will be performed at the Washington State University Puyallup Research & Extension Center, with funding from the Washington Department of Ecology. The carryover of good will from ARMA’s previous involvement was evident at the meeting. Nancy Winters, the leader of the first round study, who also wrote and published the research with the assistance of ARMA, was recruited out of retirement by Washington State to assist.
Finally, I would like to remind you all about the upcoming ARMA Board of Directors meeting which will take place May 18-19, 2016 at the Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. We are in the process of putting together a revised agenda format that will include ARMA business, informative presentations from outside our industry and increased networking time. And if all of that isn’t enough, I, for one, am very interested to hear what ARMA Government Relations Consultant Craig Brightup has to say about the impending national election!
As always, please do not hesitate to reach-out to me or the ARMA staff if we can be of service.
–Greg Malarkey
ARMA President
ARMA Technical Affairs Committee
During the ARMA Spring Committee Meeting in Kansas City, the Committee chairs, Sid Dinwiddie (PABCO Roofing Products) and JF Cote (SOPREMA, Inc.) provided an update on the recent activities and goals of the group, including fine-tuning the process to review and update ARMA technical documents. The Committee’s Technical Review Task Force recently reviewed three ARMA publications, which are pending review and approval by ARMA’s Counsel Forum: “Cold Weather Recommendations For Built-Up Roofing,” “Recommendations Regarding Built-Up Roofing Asphalt,” and the “ARMA Modified Bitumen Design Guide for Building Owners.” And ARMA is converting one of its print publications into an e-book and print-on-demand option: “Good Application Make a Good Roof Better, A Simplified Guide: Installing Laminated Asphalt Shingles For Maximum Life & Weather Protection.” The Sustainability Task Force is developing five Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) with Thinkstep and UL Environment. The EPDs will cover Asphalt Shingles, APP-torch applied, BUR-hot mopped, SBS-hot mopped, and SBS-cold applied.
ARMA Health, Safety and Environment Committee
A welcome this spring to ARMA’s new Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Committee Chair Annmeza Szeto, IKO Production, Inc., and Vice-Chair, Devlin Whiteside, Owens Corning!
2016 Spring Committee Meetings
ARMA’s HSE Committee met during the Spring Committee Meetings on Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10. Participants received welcoming remarks by ARMA Executive Vice President, Reed Hitchcock, and a historical overview of the HSE Committee from notable members that contributed to its successes. Additionally, the meetings provided updates on ARMA projects and regulatory affairs, and the participants heard from a variety of speakers on topics including asphalt loss prevention, noise conservation, and VOC’s in petroleum storage tanks.
The HSE Spring Committee Meetings were filled with excellent presentations and great barbeque – thank you to everyone who attended!
The presentations are available on the ARMA website. If you need login assistance or have trouble accessing the documents, please contact ARMA Staff Associate Cecily Alfonsi at calfonsi@kellencompany.com for assistance.
ARMA Codes Steering Group (CSG)
The ARMA Codes Steering Group is ramping up in Spring 2016 with involvement in many code and regulatory body activities to advance the interests of the asphalt roofing industry. Find updates on Florida Building Commission activity and ASTM below for good news on both fronts.
The CSG is navigating the 2018 International Code Council (ICC) 2018 Code Development Cycle. This year code committees will consider proposals for low-slope commercial roofs, as well as residential code requirements that mainly affect steep-slope producers. The energy code provisions, which affect cool roofing requirements in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), are also up for consideration. ARMA staff submitted close to 30 proposals to the IBC and IRC affecting asphalt roof coverings; many of these were developed by the VTF (see update below). The CSG is also reviewing a number of code proposals submitted by others that have a potential impact on how asphalt roofing products must perform, and how roof assemblies work as a whole to protect the building.
The CSG will develop ARMA positions on dozens of these proposals. They cover a variety of code issues including wind uplift requirements, air-permeable insulation installed beneath roof decks, product labeling requirements, roofing aggregate use in high-wind areas, impact resistance of roof coverings, and many other topics. If you have any questions about ARMA’s participation at ICC, please contact your company’s ARMA CSG representative, or your ARMA staff members.
ARMA Technical Resources Group (TRG)
The ARMA Technical Resources Group (TRG) Florida Building Commission (FBC) Task Force submitted a large number of modifications to the Roofing Application Standards (RAS) and Testing Application Standards (TAS) for the next version of the Florida Building Code. The TRG FBC members and staff have met on several occasions with staff of the Florida Building Commission and Miami-Dade Product Control to help refine the modifications during the public comment portion of the process.
ARMA TRG ASTM D7158 Task Force
The ARMA TRG ASTM D7158 Task Force developed a ballot and rationale to update the ASTM D7158 standard. The taskforce retained consultants Dr. Jon Peterka and Dr. Jay Crandall to develop the ballot and rationale, which was submitted to ASTM in mid-October. The intent of the balloted updates is to ensure D7158 complies with the 2010 version of ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. While the subcommittee ballot did receive negative comments, all were resolved during the consensus process. The ballot items were balloted to the Main ASTM Committee; the ballot closed March 28. Any negatives will be discussed during the June 2016 ASTM meetings in Chicago and, barring any unforeseen developments, it is expected that the updated D7158 will be included in the 2018 Edition of the ICC model building codes.
ARMA Ventilation Task Force (VTF)
The ARMA Ventilation Task Force (VTF) developed and submitted a number of ICC code proposals regarding balanced ventilation, amount of ventilation (net-free area) required, as well as a definition of “vented attic.” The changes, if accepted, will become part of the 2018 I-Codes. The VTF is also writing a quarterly trade publication article in 2016. The first article will discuss code requirements for attic ventilation for accessory structures.
ARMA Cool Roof Task Force (CRTF)
The ARMA Cool Roof Task Force (CRTF) is in the process of securing funding for the in-situ research on roof reflectivity of 5 to 8 year old roofs. The study intends to improve upon the data gap that exists for aged cool roofing. ARMA’s CRTF is working with other roofing industry organizations to help fund the project, which is expected to start in mid-2016. The deliverables include a full report and a peer-reviewed paper, covering the real-world reflectivity of aged roofs, to be presented at a technical symposium.
ARMA Communications, Education and Membership Committee
ARMA Member Projects Honored as 2016 QARC Winners
A star-shaped home, a PGA National Resort complex and a new library are winners of this year’s Quality Asphalt Roofing Case Study (QARC) Awards program. ARMA members helped to encourage contractors to submit their best projects throughout 2015, and the CMEC promoted the contest using articles in top trade magazines, online news outlets and through social media. As a result, ARMA received 28 quality, low and steep slope roofing projects for consideration. Here are this year’s top asphalt roofing projects in North America:
Gold
Project Name: Star House
Company: John Foster, General Contractor – Esparto, CA
Project Description: This residential asphalt roofing system relied on PABCO Roofing Products Premier Advantage Granite shingles to provide a beautiful design while protecting the home from high winds and a salty, damp coastal environment.
Silver
Project Name: Devonshire at PGA National Resort and Spa− Court and Cove Buildings
Company: Advanced Roofing Inc. – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Project Description: A SOPREMA three-ply SBS-modified bitumen roofing system with a base sheet and cap sheet was installed to protect the roof from the foot traffic and use of heavy equipment required to service the building’s many air conditioning units.
Bronze
Project Name: Northeast Regional Library
Company: Precision Roofing – Hialeah, FL
Project Description: This GAF hybrid built-up/SBS-modified bitumen roofing system used three plays of GAFGLAS® Ply 4 Ply Sheet and a Ruberoid® Energy Cap™ 30 Granule FR membrane to offer protection and durability to a new library building.
