Thirty years ago, I was about to join a revolution that would dramatically change how commercial roofing was practiced in the United States. In December 2014, I accepted a job offer to join a rapidly-growing single-ply roof system manufacturer, and I was scheduled to start my new job early in 2015. Since some of my work would involve the design of new roofing systems, I spent some time over the Christmas holidays thinking about how commercial roofs might change over the coming years.
Clearly, 1985 was an exciting time to be a roofing professional. Single-ply roofs were taking off on a dramatic sales trajectory that would lead to market dominance within the decade. Increased adoption and enforcement of building codes across the United States was driving the development and testing of literally thousands of new fire- and wind-rated roofing systems. And new model energy codes were being introduced that would lead to dramatic increases in roof insulation levels.