The Construction Source America

Tecta America | 19 and support in the environmental roof mar- ket. Hagan says by working with the best and brightest in enterprise, Tecta has remained at the forefront of advances which benefit the work of the industry, a position that often finds Tecta testing out new products and ap- plications long before they penetrate widely throughout the market. And rest assured, Tecta’s green roofing solutions are expanding throughout the mar- ket. Hagan says he is especially encouraged to see the formation of organizations such as the Washington D.C. –based Center for En- vironmental Innovation in Roofing (CEIR). By focusing on the intersection between roofing and energy and environmental per- formance, CEIR hopes to provide a forum to more effectively draw the entire roofing industry to develop a knowledge base, best- practices model and a ratings system similar to that imparted by LEED standards. Those standards are quite aligned with the very techniques Tecta America has been deploy- ing for many years now. Hagan believes that as understanding of the benefits are more understood and more communicated, it will prompt a new era in roofing innovation, which may mean more competition, but as Hagan says, “It will be good for the environ- ment and good for everyone in business.” For those who emerge in these industry applications, there will be certain benefit from work Tecta has already undertaken, not only in terms of education to students or owners and tenants of properties where they’ve worked, but also municipal permit- ting officials. Even in some of the most pro- gressive communities, Hagan says permitting staffs are sometimes unaccustomed to the applications that Tecta advances. Permitting in these areas requires expenditures of time, explanation and coaching, as Hagan says, some communities are still playing catch-up. “More and more people are beginning to understand exactly what the roof can con- tribute to the performance of a building. That awareness is going to drive the industry to adopt these methods and I think increas- ing competition will actually help legitimize the environmental solutions coming to the market,” says Hagan. “We’ve been a lone wolf for a long time, but I think these techniques will make for a better industry and a better future for everybody.”