An update on the activities of the National Technical Committee (NTC) was provided at the February CRCA BOD meeting in Las Vegas.

The NTC is revising its Terms of Reference to make sure that the membership, duties and roles of the committee accurately represent the entire roofing industry.

To address ongoing concerns regarding moisture in construction materials, the National Research Council prepared a research project proposal that would evaluate the effects of moisture contamination of polyisocyanurate insulation and gypsum cover boards. The project aims to identify the critical moisture content of the materials that would affect the performance of a roof system and provide guidelines to roofing contractors onsite. Evaluation of the proposal is being completed by the BOD.

CRCA is actively engaged in several roofing-related research projects related to the roofing industry that provide indispensable information and requirements for roofing products and systems.

•  Special Interest Group for the Dynamic Evaluation of Roofing Systems (SIGDERS) The final testing for Phase 9 is being completed. Phase 10 work objectives will be considered at the spring 2024 meeting.

• Energy Resistance of Commercial Roofs – Phase 3 Phase 3 will begin in 2024 and will quantify the effective R-value and impact of thermal bridging of tapered insulation, the impact of moisture and thermal bridging in roof assemblies constructed with wood decks and thermal bridging of roof expansion joints and roof drains.

• Ridging and Wrinkling of Modified Bitumen roof systems – Phase 2 The testing procedures and material selections for component and system testing were revised as part of the ongoing Phase 2 of the project. Several mockups have been set up outside to be monitored for in-situ environmental performance.

• Protected Membrane Roof Assemblies This project is being finalized and a draft standard has been developed that addresses wind uplift and wind flow resistance, hygrothermal and energy performance of protected membrane roof assemblies.

• Climate Resiliency Requirements for Asphalt Shingle Roofs  Testing is continuing at the component and system level with best practice guidelines being developed.

• Nature Based Solutions on Commercial Roofs - Phase 1 Phase1 will begin in 2024 and assess the performance of green and blue roofs systems including detention and retention capabilities under current and future climatic conditions to mitigate urban flooding.

A virtual community is being developed for NTC members to provide a platform to interact and communicate beyond the regular scheduled meetings.

The next NTC meeting is scheduled for May 9, 2024, in Victoria BC, before the CRCA National Conference.