New Roof Drainage Publication Now Available

The new Roof Drainage – Second Edition is now available. This publication was funded by the RCI-IIBEC Foundation as an update of the 2003 edition of the Roof Drainage monograph as a result of significant changes in the International Building Code (IBC), the International Plumbing Code (IPC) and the methods used for roof drainage design.

The authors of Roof Drainage are IIBEC member Stephen L. Patterson, RRC, PE, of Roof Technical Services, Inc. and Dr. Madan Mehta, PhD, PE, with the University of Texas at Arlington.

“We now know that the flow through a vertical leader and a roof drain are unrelated. Unlike the flow through a vertical leader, which is simply related to the pipe diameter, the flow through a roof drain is a function of several factors, such as the head of water over the drain’s rim, rim diameter, drain bowl depth, drain outlet diameter, and the strainer. As a result, the familiar plumbing code tables giving maximum drainable roof areas for roof drains became inapplicable and have been deleted from the codes. This left a large gap for the design disciplines to address.”

“Compounding the problem has been the continuing discrepancies between the three plumbing codes, which give different provisions for the same design issue. Existence of unexplainable discrepancies within the same plumbing code has been another problem. It is in this context that we decided to work on the second edition of Roof Drainage.”

“This monograph has been written as a textbook to serve all three disciplines—architecture, plumbing engineering, and structural engineering,” said Dr. Mehta. “We have learned a great deal since the 2003 publication and have incorporated it into this book.”

“Both Steve Patterson and Dr. Mehta deserve a great deal of thanks and praise,” said Mike Blanchette, chair of the RCI-IIBEC Foundation. “Their work on this publication took much longer than expected due to the complexity and changes that have taken place (in addition to the impact of COVID-19). The RCI-IIBEC Foundation is honored to have supported this work and we look forward to sharing this knowledge with the entire building enclosure industry.”

The publication is now available through the IIBEC website in both printed and electronic versions.

Diamonds Are A Student's Best Friend Promotion

This year, as part of the Foundations’ Auction, there will be a very special drawing to benefit the IIBEC Convention/Student Participation Fund. For a gift of $100 or more, the first 100 donors will receive a 1-in-100 chance to win a $3,000 pair of diamond earrings. These earrings are of 1.72 (0.85 + 0.87) total carat weight, with round brilliant diamonds in faceted girdle edges in a 14k white gold, champagne-style setting with double click rings. The pair comes with a certificate of authenticity and was mined in Brazil.

The goal of this drawing is to generate at least $10,000 for student attendance and participation in future IIBEC International Convention and Trade Shows.

For your chance, make a donation to the Student Convention Fund between now and the night of the Foundations’ Auction (at Phoenix Convention in September, 2021). You will be randomly assigned a number. During the live auction, a number will be pulled, and the person with that number wins the earrings! You need not be present to win. Donations can be made online at https://rci-iibecfoundation.org/donate.aspx.

Chances, if still available, can be purchased at the Foundations’ Auction until the time of the drawing.

For more information, contact Foundations Development Officer Rick Gardner at rgardner@iibec.org or 919-859-0742.

2021 IIBEC Convention Sponsorship Applications Now Being Accepted

Applications for student sponsorships are now being accepted for the 2021 IIBEC Convention and Trade Show.

To qualify, an applicant must be a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours per semester) enrolled in architecture; architectural, structural or civil engineering; construction management; building sciences or other related areas of study. Up to 25 students are eligible to receive this funding twice. Depending upon availability, up to three students from the same university may be selected.

The sponsorship includes IIBEC convention registration, up to four nights lodging (single occupancy) at the convention hotel, a stipend for meals, cost of travel up to $400 USD (receipts required), and a one-year IIBEC student membership.

Application can be downloaded here.

The deadline for submitting the application and supporting documentation has been extended until Friday, May 7, 2021 at 3 PM EST.

Applicants will be notified within a few weeks of submitting the application and supporting documents if they have been awarded the sponsorship. More information about IIBEC and the 2021 Convention may be found at https://iibec.org/2021-iibec-international-convention-and-trade-show/

Foundation Supports Research on Thermal Bridging via Roof Fasteners

The RCI-IIBEC Foundation approved funding for a study, titled “Laboratory Testing of Roof Assemblies for Comparison with Simulated Models: Thermal Performance Assessment of Thermal Bridges due to Roof Fasteners” at Virginia Tech. The team, consisting of Dr. Elizabeth Grant and Dr. Georg Reichard, along with their students, as well as industry sponsors Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) and GAF, will conduct selected laboratory tests to compare the thermal performance of physical models of simple roof assemblies under different controlled laboratory environmental conditions with computational models of these assemblies.

The overall goal of the project is to provide a better understanding to the industry of simulated versus tested thermal conductance in 3-D configurations, in support of relative comparison of quantitative thermal effects of fasteners in different roof assemblies.

The expectation is that the study will contribute to a better overall understanding of thermal performance of roof systems, enable both our members and the industry to understand the thermal penalty incurred by the use of roof fasteners in their designs, and ultimately provide validated simulations of approaches geared toward justification of any performance impact.

The expected completion date is December, 2021. Following conclusion of the study, the research team hopes to share results through presentations at IIBEC conferences and meetings, as well as through scientific papers.

Funding for this research is made possible through gifts to the Foundation’s General Fund for Research and Education and, specifically, through GAF as well as through in-kind donations from SGH. “GAF and SGH are both very excited to support this research and the information it will provide for the entire building industry,” said Helene Hardy-Pierce, Secretary of the Foundation and GAF’s Technical Director.

“After running computer models for an SGH-sponsored paper published by ASTM in 2015, it became apparent that roofing insulation fasteners will cause significant thermal bridging,” said Eric Olson of SGH, the lead author of a 2015 paper considering thermal bridging of roofing details. “These effects are not considered by many in the roofing industry, and there exists no clear guidance on how to deal with them. Validation of the computer models with physical laboratory analysis—the aim of the current study—is the next logical step to building practical methods for considering their effects.”

How Would You Like to Help?

The RCI-IIBEC Foundation has implemented a focused effort on various initiatives within our organization. We want to give you, our wonderful donors, the opportunity to choose to earmark your pledges and donations in the areas that matter most to you!

As such, we are garnering focus on four separate initiatives, each encompassing a different area supporting our industry. Please take a moment to make yourself familiar with what the Foundation is doing!

Robert W. Lyons Scholarship

RCIF Lewis W. Newlan Scholarship

llBEC Convention Student Participation Fund

General Research & Education Contribution Fund

RCI-IIBEC Foundation Inc.