Impact of Cool Roofing Membranes on the Hygrothermal Performance of Low-Sloped Roof Structures in Timber Construction PDF

This paper will present an analysis regarding the hygrothermal performance and furthermore durability of non-ventilated light-weight flat roofs with cool roofing membranes in the Central European climate.

The main focus is the assessment of the drying potential of selected roof variants to predict the potential risks of mold and especially wood decay fungi growth inside the constructions. Several numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the influence of different roofing membranes and especially cool roofing products on the overall hygrothermal conditions inside the constructions.

Additionally, roof assemblies with cool roofing membranes were investigated at the Austrian BSRTU Building Science -- Research & Test Unit outdoor test facility (www.building-science.at) of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS). In-situ measurement results, taken at this experimental set-up will be discussed.

Presented at Thermal Performance of Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings XII, December 2013