The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently accepted RP14 Wind Design Standard for Vegetative Roofing Systems as an American National Standard. This document, which provides a design and installation reference for green roofing professionals to help eliminate the risk of wind uplift on vegetative or green roofs in high wind areas, was the result of a collaboration between Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) Inc.
“This standard, along with the recently approved fire standard, will provide the U.S. market with the guidance that it needs to safely install vegetative or green roofing systems, which are an expanding segment of the roofing industry in the U.S.,” said Mike Ennis, SPRI technical director. “It is the result of an industry-wide effort involving manufacturers, contractors, designers, green roofing professionals and testing agencies.”
Kelly Luckett, chair of GRHC’s technical committee and president of Green Roof Blocks, said the standard combines old and new technology.
“The RP-14 Wind Design Guideline combines established design principles of conventional roofing systems with the wind tunnel testing conducted at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to set minimum requirements aimed toward reducing the risk of wind damage to vegetative green roof systems,” Luckett said. “The standard provides clear design criteria that will help pave the way for growth of the green roof industry in even the most challenging wind zones of North America.”
For more details, the RP14 Wind Design Standard for Vegetative Roofs may be downloaded free of charge from GRHC or SPRI websites.
