By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

This previous set of manufacturer roundtables focused on a vital part of any building: the roof. The roof acts as a protective half-shell for a building to protect it from many forms of damage. As such, facilities managers need to understand more about roofs so their healthcare facilities stay well-protected. To learn more about the various topics surrounding roofing, Healthcare Facilities Today had sat down with roofing manufacturers.  

They provided valuable insight on topics such as: 

• Common issues with roofing and how to fix them 
• How often hospitals should have their roofing inspected 
• The different needs of healthcare facility roofing in comparison to other facilities 
• New products and trends in roofing 
• Green roofing 

These topics reiterated the number of challenges, factors and trends to consider with roofing. Roofs, while built to be durable, are not invincible. With that, issues like leaks and various forms of damage are bound to appear at some time. When they do, there are a number of different fixes to do when addressing these issues with roofing.  

Some of these problems can be found through an inspection. If a facility manager wants their hospital roof to stay in top shape, they must get it inspected at least twice a year. An inspector will come in and take a look at the condition of the roofing. Once finished, they will report any problems found and suggest potential courses of action to address the problems. 

Different facilities will have different problems and needs, though. Healthcare facilities are no exception to this. The needs of healthcare facilities in particular may revolve around the patient experience, recovery and other health-related factors. An example of this is green roofing, a concept in which plants and gardens are placed on top of the roofs. The idea is that these green roofs can help with the recovery and healing process.  

Green roofs are just one of the trends in a larger industry. In order to keep up and make sure roofing stays up to date, facilities managers need to keep abreast of current trends and new products in roofing. Doing so helps a facility’s roof stay modern and effective.  

Overall, these topics help give a bigger picture of current topics within the roofing industry and what is going on with it.   

Jeff Wardon, Jr. is the assistant editor for the facilities market.