Tecta America Tops All
Whether it’s in reference to high ticket purchases or simply the general cost of conducting business in the fiscal fluctuations of the era, all are familiar with a certain expression (really more of an exclamation) as to how prices are “going through the roof.†Yet, it just so happens that there is one enterprise that is helping its customers by providing innovative solutions that not only help reduce operational costs, but also provide an effective means to boost performance, productivity and protect investments in infrastructure, and in this case, the very conduit for all this capability involves going through the roof.Â
A little more than 13 years ago, the principals from ten autonomous companies that each specialized in roofing construction resolved to unite their expertise and service capacity under one corporate roof, so to speak, thereby creating Tecta America Corporation. Today, with more than 50 offices throughout the United States and more than 3,200 employees nationwide, Tecta America is the largest commercial roof contracting company in America. Its corporate divisions average more than 60 years in industry experience, with some divisions actually possessing more than 100 years of service expertise. That capability is further complemented by a bonding capacity and totality of insurance coverage that effectively empowers Tecta America to take-on the largest and most intricate of building projects. But no matter whether it is new construction, roof replacement, repairs & service, residential roofing, commercial roofing, or some critical requirement for service in response to recovery efforts following natural disasters, Tecta America deploys such a comprehensive range of solutions, services and operational efficiency to render it essentially unrivaled by anyone else in the industry. Over the last 13 years, Tecta America has garnered numerous awards and achieved industry distinction for installation quality, safety standards as well as their diligent delivery of solutions which so epitomize innovation that the company has earned both respect and reverence as an industrial force who has fundamentally redefined roofing. Suffice it to say, if the job involves roofing, regardless of the specifications, Tecta America has got it covered.
To fully appreciate Tecta’s expertise, it may be necessary to reassess whatever assertions one may hold about the role of roofers, or for that matter, the significance of roofing in any construction project. Tecta’s advancement in industry has been largely compelled by their own ability to reexamine traditional approaches to roofing and cleverly devise new methodology and applications that ultimately manifest into something that represents so much more than mere covering for walls and floors. Tecta applications actually serve to boost the intended functionality of a structure, impart means of achieving greater energy efficiency which helps spare customers from cost fluctuations, not to mention headache. These applications also add life, greater integrity and environmental efficacy, investment protection and enhanced resell potential to any project where Tecta’s precision is performed. To do all that requires more than general building knowledge, and the point here is that Tecta has galvanized resources from a multidiscipline spectrum of craftsmen, scientists, and experts in energy and sustainability. Upon understanding this, one can better comprehend why Tecta America roofs are so revolutionary.
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Redefining Roofing Benefits
While Tecta America Corp. can capably complete any manner of roofing construct, the company has prospered as a pioneer in building practices and applications that are as green-friendly as they are effective to achieving greater energy efficiency and more long-term performance value.
To put that in proper context, Tecta America’s Environmental Solutions Director Geoff Hagan explains that some six years after the company was initially created, principals astutely determined to create new divisions that solely focused on delivering environmentally advantageous and sustainable roofing systems which were increasingly prompting demand throughout the market. Over the years that have followed, Tecta has expanded it efficiencies in delivering roofing solutions elevated by advances in water-proofing membranes and high durability, engineered skylights, solar-energy generation and vegetated roofing systems. Whether singularly installed or collectively applied, these roofing applications have led to Tecta America’s prominence as the greenest of green roofing specialists.
In terms of the benefits for customers, Hagan explains than on any 90 degree day, typical roofs will swelter to a blazing blast of 160 degrees, which puts a sufficient burden on cooling systems that have to work doubly hard. A green roof, however, stays closer to the ambient temperature, thus helping interior spaces stay cool right along with utility costs. Green roofs also help extend the overall life of a roof (with some case studies showing these to have double the lifespan of conventional roofs) because they better mitigate impacts from UV rays or other environmental conditions.
Vegetative roofing systems not only allow for increased energy efficiency and environmental protection, but also an important benefit resulting from reduced storm water run-off. Hagan says vegetation can help retain large amounts of storm water, which ultimately gets evaporated rather than draining into a retention pond or sewage system, which again poses genuine economic benefits.
Tecta’s daylighting systems have also proven effective to diminishing utility costs. Artificial interior lighting can constitute as much as a third of a business’ total energy costs. Specially designed to provide maximum streaming of the sun’s natural illumination, Tecta’s day-lighting applications have not only allowed customers to reduce their reliance on interior electrical systems, but in some cases, eliminate the artificial lighting altogether. Research further suggests that in spaces where these types of natural lighting elements have been deployed, workers are more productive, less absent from illness and achieve higher operational safety standards.
Tecta Solar installations have helped numerous companies effectively capitalize on energy output to offset costs they would otherwise be paying to the utility company. Solar photovoltaic systems generate electricity during daylight hours when commercial buildings like offices and retail stores are occupied and using electricity and often paying premium rates.
There are also other advantages that come from these applications. For one, the cost of investment can often be offset by the awarding of special grants or tax incentives which the government has set aside to aid in the advancement of these practices. But even in the absence of such funding, these systems ultimately pay for themselves in a short duration. Beyond the benefits provided to existing operations, should building owners determine to sell the structure at some point, there is quicker potential to secure buyers who are increasingly looking for buildings with such functional fortitude. For builders and building owners that are pursuing LEED certification, these applications all contribute valuable points in the process. A final, and for some, the most important benefit comes from the ability to operate in a manner that is eco-sensitive and environmentally prudent. Hagan says some customers are less interested in the cost savings such applications allow, but see Tecta America’s contributions as being aligned to their own respective goals in achieving greater sustainability and being professionally accountable for the carbon footprint they are leaving on the planet.
“There are many companies striving to make some sort of sustainability approach in the market, and they’re adopting programs or appointing personnel to help drive their efforts. Some feel it is vital to have some skin in the game because that’s what their competition is doing. Some do it because they want and need to be financially conservative. For many others, they’re doing it because they know it is the right thing to do. They genuinely want to contribute something that is environmentally beneficial and create a great space that their co-workers, their communities, can really be proud of,†says Hagan.
Customized Capability
As a pioneer and leader in its industry, Tecta America’s services have been contracted by forces of industry that aren’t necessarily known to skimp nor compromise on their service expectations. Considering Tecta’s customer base is an effective means of validating the fact that the best in business often turn to those who can best fulfill their needs, but the following cases also provide insight into the range of Tecta’s service capability.
For instance, when the administration from John Hopkins Hospital determined to erect a new state-of-the-art facility with one tower to serve adult critical care patients and a second tower dedicated to children’s care, the owners and Clark Construction company took care by tasking Tecta with some 176,000 square-feet of multiple-level roofing which included green roofing systems as well as a fully adhered Sarnafil PVC roof.
At the Federal Reserve Bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tecta replaced the former roof with a new green roof system encompassing more than 83,000 square feet of space. High security and heavy traffic in a busy downtown corridor added to the complexity of the job which included a waterproofing membrane installed on multiple levels of varying elevations and size, and applications equating to 1,000 tons of expanded slate material for growing some 50,000 sedum plugs.
Tecta’s solar energy installations are collectively generating 52MW of energy and can be found among 12 states, including atop the  Palmer Technology Center in Massachusetts, the Hunter Panels Facility in Florida, GlaxoSmithKline’s Data Center in Pennsylvania, Jefferson County Schools in Colorado, and the Soccer Dome in Jessup, Maryland, to name a trifle few. Each Tecta Solar installation is specifically designed with the current roof conditions, local incentives, and electric utility requirements in mind.
When Tecta Solar installed the 1,892 kWp solar photovoltaic system on the roof top of 355 Main Street in Whitinsville, MA it was the largest commercial rooftop solar photovoltaic installation in the state. It has over 6,700 solar photovoltaic modules and produces on average 5,900 kWh per day.
Tecta’s green roof vegetative system adds to the allure of Minnesota’s Target Center which now not only holds the largest green roof in Minnesota, but the fifth largest in the country. The green roof features a 2.5 acre growing zone in the center of the arena roof structure (with a deeper 3.5†growing zone around the perimeter to maximize on storm water retention and plant vigor). The roof uses the pre-grown mats as the base of the green roof system and is complemented by additional plantings to enhance plant diversity as well as ecological resilience using a mix of sedum and native plants. More than 11 miles of sustainable, water-efficient irrigation lines were installed, and well as 14,000 cement pavers for firebreaks and roof protection. And though that project called for 50% of recycling materials, Tecta set a goal of recycling 100% of the old roof, resulting in approximately 450 tons of existing rock and 590 tons of existing pavers, 140 tons of existing roofing membrane and more than 60 truckloads of existing roof insulation. The green roof captures an estimated one-million gallons of storm water per year, will mitigate urban heat island effect by reducing the roof temperature up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and has a waterproofing membrane anticipated to last 40 years.
At the Heaquarter Honda in Clermont, Florida, Tecta deployed the full range of environmental roof-top concepts in a landmark LEED Platinum project complemented by applications in reflective membranes, day lighting, solar-energy generation and a vegetative roof system. The energy output, estimated at 470kWH or better of alternating current per day, is displacing a minimum of 10% of the facility’s current demand on production days, a saving calculated at more than $18,900.00 per year at current after-tax utility rates. Hagan says the building owners are so proud of their roofing system, they often conduct tours among these elevated applications.
Partners in Professionalism
Tecta has applied their expertise to a wide range of private commercial and public municipal structures, as well as hospitals and schools, but in so doing, they’ve also collaborated with a number of companies who are also providing materials and technology that is also helping to elevate the industry. For example, through working with a company known as International Leak Detection, Tecta has deployed a technology process known as “Electric Field Vector Mapping†which negates the undertaking of costly roof inspections to search (or find) leaks in roofing membranes or the structure itself. Firestone may be best known for tires, but Hagan says this company also specializes in roofing materials and he credits Firestone as a critical relationship that has also helped Tecta America achieve success. He additionally recognizes Sika Sarnafil’s innovative membrane systems, American Hydrotech’s delivery of waterproofing and green roof systems, and GAF for their wide range of solutions and support in the environmental roof market. 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 applications long before they penetrate widely throughout the market.
And rest assured, Tecta’s green roofing solutions are expanding throughout the market. Hagan says he is especially encouraged to see the formation of organizations such as the Washington D.C. –based Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing (CEIR). By focusing on the intersection between roofing and energy and environmental performance, 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 deploying 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 environment and good for everyone in business.â€
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 permitting officials. Even in some of the most progressive 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 contribute to the performance of a building. That awareness is going to drive the industry to adopt these methods and I think increasing 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.â€
For more information, please visit their website at: Â Tecta America
