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SPECIAL SECTION Project Name: Headquarters Honda Project Location: Clermont, Fla. Photo Courtesy Of: Tecta America South Florida minimum R-values, elimination of thermal discontinuities, and installation of roof air barriers that allow roofing prac- titioners to effectively meet the intent of whole-building approaches without requiring complicated and expensive energy modeling. Emphasis on Durability and Performance A second, and perhaps more important difference in the RoofPoint program, is its emphasis on roof system per- formance through the inclusion of categories for durabili- ty and life cycle management. In addition to reducing environmental impacts, truly sustainable buildings and roofs must provide superior service life so that the full benefit of reduced environmental impact is achieved. Perhaps nothing could be worse than a sustainably designed building to end up with a leaky roof that short- ens the working life of the entire building and compro- mises key environmental goals. Examples of durability concepts within RoofPoint include protecting the roof from traffic, assuring positive drainage, adding critical detail enhancements and installing a vapor retarder when needed. In addition, RoofPoint credits focus on key construction processes, including on-site moisture protection, project quality assurance and long-term roof maintenance. Project Name: Tremco Global Headquarters Project Location: Beachwood, Ohio Photo Courtesy Of: Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance whole-building green rating systems, there are several important differences. Undoubtedly, the most important distinction is that RoofPoint focuses exclusively on roofs. This approach goes a long way to address roofing industry concerns about potential misinterpretations of whole- building rating systems when applied to roofing projects. As an example, the current LEED program specifically references roofing in regard to only two characteristics: cool roof surfaces and vegetative roofs. Although many other roofing-related characteristics are embedded within many LEED credits, they may be difficult to winnow out and apply to a roofing project. LEED contains exhaustive criteria regarding overall energy efficiency, but because these criteria depend primarily on the use of whole-build- ing energy modeling, the criteria may be difficult and costly to apply to a typical roofing project. RoofPoint addresses this challenge by providing a series of prescriptive energy standards, including recommended Targeted to the Building Owner Perhaps the most important feature of RoofPoint is that it targets an important construction segment effectively ignored by whole-building green rating systems: the more than 2.5 billion square feet of annual commercial reroof- ing activity. Not only are complex whole-building rating systems difficult to apply to reroofing, but also the costs of certification also are far too expensive for the average reroofing project. As a result, many building owners increasingly are inter- ested in using the RoofPoint program to assess their roof- ing assets and make sustainable roof management deci- sions. Behind this interest in RoofPoint for reroofing projects lies another important feature. Facility managers across the world are being challenged about the "greenness" of the building assets they manage. As a result, one of the most common questions asked about new roofing assets is, "Is this a sustainable roof?" With the RoofPoint program, construction professionals now can answer this question with a program that pro- vides tangible evidence that the roofing system meets well-defined sustainability criteria – and this achievement can be documented and recognized in much the same way 70 Commercial Construction & Renovation September/October 2012