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Building Science Survival Guide

Practical Roofing & Enclosure Resources

Roofing Layer 0 ALL STEPS

Roofing Layer 1 Membranes focus

Roofing Layer 2 Coverboards focus

Roofing Layer 3 Insulations focus

Roofing Layer 4 Air Barriers focus

Roofing Layer 5 Overburden focus

Roofing Layer 6 Wind Design focus

Roofing Layer 7 Sustainability focus

Roofing Layer 8 Specific Considerations focus

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deep blue photo callout for COVERBOARDS

deep blue photo callout for SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

deep blue photo callout for INSULATIONS

deep blue photo callout for SUSTAINABILITY

deep blue photo callout for WIND DESIGN

deep blue photo callout for AIR BARRIERS

deep blue photo callout for MEMBRANES

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MEMBRANES

roofer's foot next to a roll of single-ply membrane

SINGLE-PLY BEST PRACTICES

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PVC

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asphaltic roof material unrolling

ASPHALTICS

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roofer assembling hybrid roof

HYBRID ROOF ASSEMBLIES

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two roofers applying liquid roof

LIQUID APPLIED ROOFS

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STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

two roofers unrolling single-ply roof material

Best Practices for Single-Ply Roofs

Austin Hose Project roof aerial view

Austin Hose Project

View Case Study

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Coming Soon!

Coming soon!

SINGLE-PLY BEST PRACTICES

roofers installing pvc membrane high up on a convention center

PVC: The Other White Sheet?

PVC and Kee roof membranes

PVC & KEE Roof Membrane

View White Paper

Aerial photo of Savannah Convention Center

Savannah Convention Center

View Case Study

Coming soon!

PVC

aerial view of a modified bitumen roof assembly

Modified Bitumen Roof Assemblies

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Swedish Issaquah Hospital

View Case Study

Coming soon!

ASPHALTICS

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Are Hybrid Roof Assemblies Worth the Hype?

HYBRID ROOF ASSEMBLIES

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Kia Forum

View Case Study

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Space Needle

View Case Study

curvy liquid applied roof

Going Seamless: The What, Where & Why of Liquid Applied Roofing

LIQUID APPLIED ROOFS

COVERBOARDS

two roofers attaching coverboards on a roof

VALUE OF COVERBOARDS

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artful overhead view of coverboards being placed on a roof

HD POLYISO VS. GYPSUM

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HAIL

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STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Coming soon!

Value of coverboards

Coming soon!

HD POLYISO VS. GYPSUM

Glass Mat Roof Board system cross section

Which GAF Hail Systems meets your roofing needs?

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Defending Against Very Severe Hail

Coming soon!

HAIL

INSULATION

roofer kneeling into an insulation install

TYPES OF INSULATION

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roofing crew in hardhats stepping in unison on lightweight insulation

LIGHTWEIGHT INSULATING CONCRETE

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roofer in hardhat bending over a roof install

NON-HALOGENATED POLYISO

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rendering of a cross section of tapered insulation

TAPERED

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Aerial view of roof with thermal insulation

THERMAL BRIDGING IMPACTS

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STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

roofing crew adhering panels of roof insulation

Low-Slope Roofing 101

Coming soon!

Types of Insulation

roofing crew adding insulating concrete

Lightweight Insulating Concrete

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Acoustic Roof Design

View Technical Guide

view of the Pittsburgh Highline

Thermal Values

View Technical Guide

Aerial photo of Dougherty County Jail

Dougherty County Jail

View Case Study

Lightweight Insulating Concrete

NH Polyiso Insulation

NH Polyiso Insulation

Coming soon!

Non-Halogenated POLYISO

two men crouched over tapered insulation

Tapered Insulation Fundamentals

yellow balls rolling down tapered insulation

Tapered Design Layouts

Tapered

snow partially melting on a commercial roof

Thermal Bridging Through Roof Fasteners

Thermal Bridging Impacts

AIR BARRIERS & VAPOR RETARDERS

Roofer unrolling vapor retarder with foot

air barriers & vapor retarders

Learn More

Roofing crew installing air barriers

Detailing

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STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Coming soon...

Coming Soon...

Closeup of roofer's hands applying air barrier

Air Barriers, Vapor Retarders, and the Roof In Between

Air Barriers & Vapor Retarders

single-ply detail rendering

TPO/PVC Architectural Roofing Details

parapet cross section

Parapet Parodies: Water, Air, Thermal,

and Vapor Control

View White Paper

Coming soon!

detailing

OVERBURDEN

Solar powered roof on commercial building overlooking a city skyline

commercial rooftop solar

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roll of green roofing plant-based material

overburden

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rendering of a stormwater management system cross section

stormwater management

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STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Commercial Rooftop Solar

Overburden assembly on commercial roof in progress

Overburden

Plant lined walkway at the Lawrence Convention Center

David L. Lawrence Convention Center

View Case Study

Green roof on Jacob Javits Center

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

View Case Study

Overburden

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Stormwater Management

WIND DESIGN & BUILDING CODES

billowing white flags against a bright blue sky

wind design

Learn More

Edge metal cross sectional rendering

edge metal

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roofer measuring solar reflectivity

solar reflective

Learn More

Birds eye view of two roofers unrolling membrane

building codes & testing

Learn More

roofing professional in suit giving a presentation

Trusted Resources Links

Learn More

STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

view of a hotel roof near ocean shoreline and palm trees

Prevailing Winds and Prevailing Codes

commercial roofers performing various roles on a job site

Wind Design for Roofing Systems: Tips and Tools for Success

billowing white flags against a bright blue sky

Simplifying the Complicated Process of Wind Design for Roof Systems

View White Paper

Roofers applying adhesive to a commercial roof

Physical Testing for Wind Resistance

View White Paper

wind design

closeup of a corner space on a roof with edge metal

Wind Tunnel

Testing of Low-Slope Edge Metal

View White Paper

two skilled roofers installing a portion of edge metal

Edge Metal Design Wall Zones 4 and 5

rendering of a cross section of composite insulation

How to install everGuard coping | gAF Roofing

edge metal

Coming Soon!

View White Paper

Coming soon!

solar reflective

Coming Soon!

building codes & Testing

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International Building Codes

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RoofNav Approvals App

View Approvals App

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ASCE Hazard Tool

View Hazard Tool

Trusted Resources Links

SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCY

Solar roof on a commercial building

Sustainability

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entrance to GAF company location

eNVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS

Learn More

two roofers unrolling membrane on commercial roof

reducing total carbon

Learn More

Solar energy configuration on a group of roofs

sustainability resources

Learn More

STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

10 World Trade building surrounded by trees

Sustainable Roofing Made Simple

Coming Soon!

Solar energy configuration on a group of roofs

Kiowa County Commons

View Case Study

Commercial building with a solar roof

Stanley Center for Peace and Security

View Case Study

10 World Trade building surrounded by trees

10 World Trade

View Case Study

rendering of cross section of GAF insulation

GAF Commercial Project Showcase: Stanley Center

Sustainability

GAF Scaling Environmental Product Declarations

ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS

Coming Soon!

View White Paper

roof insulation material installed

Roof Insulation: A Positive Investment to Reduce Total Carbon

reducing total carbon

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Sustainable Product Specification Advisor Tool

View Advisor Tool

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Meeting LEED Requirements

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Meeting Living Building Challenge Requirements

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Meeting WELL Building Requirements

sustainability resources

SPECIFIC BUILDING CONSIDERATIONS

Swedish Hospital in Issaquah, WA

SCHOOLS

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Roof of cold storage facility

cold storage

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two engineers crouching on white roof surface

repair & maintenance

Learn More

Composite material on commercial building

Building Science

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STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Swedish Hospital in Issaquah, WA

Improving Energy Efficiency & Performance at the Roof for Schools & Hospitals

SCHOOLS

Overburden assembly on commercial roof in progress

Introduction to Cold Storage Systems

Plant lined walkway at the Lawrence Convention Center

Why choose GAF for your cold storage facility?

COLD STORAGE

Coming soon!

Roofing experts Dave Scott and Wally Brown

Installation Best Practice

REPAIR & MAINTENANCE

building covered in fig vines

Introduction to Building Science

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Building Science for Architects

Coming soon!

building science

TOOLS & RESOURCES

3-Part Specifications

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