Commercial roofing market challenges have cut deeply and have been oft-noted. Three opportunity areas stood as exceptions to the rule, even as growth in construction was anemic at best:
- roof-integrated photovoltaics (PVs)
- green (or vegetated) roofing
- cool (or reflective) roofing
All of these play into the trend toward green and sustainable building and are considered as emerging markets for the roofing industry:
- growth in PV installation
- growth in cool roofs is an old story, but nevertheless the focus on green building and building energy-efficiency [PDF] places cools roofs at the center of emerging roofing markets.
- growth in vegetated roofing is also not news [PDF], and its contribution to the market has beenwell documented.
For roofing professionals, green roofs and rooftop PVs involve completely new technologies, and education and re-training remain a hurdle to success. Here are some not-to-miss training opportunities if your company has its eye on these opportunity areas:
- Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE) targets roofing professionals as natural players in the integration of rooftop PV systems, as does the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP)
- Becoming a “Green Roof Professional” may hold the key to breaking into vegetative roofing.
