I attended the Energy Efficient Roofing Conference in Charlotte, N.C., this past April. The event was hosted by Principia, a consulting firm focused on the building materials industry and based in Malvern, Pa. There were many excellent speakers, topics and presentations over the two-day conference. However, one presentation that really hit my sensibilities was given by Mike Fischer, the director of codes and regulatory affairs for Kellen Technical Services.
Mr. Fischer’s presentation, titled “Onondaga County (N.Y.) Penitentiary Re-roof Project: Lessons Learned and Implications for Roof Design,” discussed research on four penitentiary buildings in upstate New York, near Syracuse. The research report, titled, “Comparative Roof Testing at Onondaga County Correctional Facility” was completed in October 2011, and performed by Ashley-McGraw Architects, Syracuse, N.Y., and CDH Energy Corp., Cazenovia, N.Y.