Building hats

People wear hats for a variety of reasons. Hats, with their different styles, make for great fashion statements.

More importantly, a hat’s function as a protective piece against the sun’s heat or the rain is a more compelling reason why people use them. Buildings wear hats, too.

But unlike people, buildings cannot take off their hats when they or their owners feel like it.

Roofs are the building’s permanent hats. Thus, when architects and clients choose the type of roof for their buildings, utmost care and consideration are made.

First, there’s the type and design of roofing material that must go well with the over-all look of the house.

Time was when people’s simple way of life was reflected on their abodes. As they wore hats made of buri (also spelled buli, a kind of palm) to protect them from the sun’s heat while tending to their farms, their humble houses had roofs made of nipa and cogon (a kind of grass), which are among the materials considered indigenous to their immediate surroundings.

Today, there are more choices in terms of materials. There is the widely used galvanized iron (GI) roofing sheets, which have more designs and profiles to choose from.

Building owners can have a GI roof that looks like clay tile.

Of course, there’s real clay tile roofing, perfect for Mediterranean-style residences.

Another important factor in choosing a roofing material is its ability to minimize heat absorption in the interiors.

Materials, such as asphalt shingles and clay tiles, absorb a lot of heat.

In this time of increased environmental consciousness, there is the green roof system that helps cool the building, and improves air quality by releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. Building owners reap economic benefits through savings in energy and water consumption. This roofing system has been popular in Europe for nearly a decade now. And it’s great to know, “thanks” to global warming, that more people are keeping their minds open to green technologies like the roof garden.

The University of San Carlos Library Bldg. in Talamban, which is under construction, will have a roof garden as its hat.

The architects have sought the services of the green roofing company, Daku of Specserv Inc., to counter urban heat island effect, promote natural cooling in the interiors, and maximize storage and use of rainwater. (Note: Urban heat island is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas.)

Another issue in the choice of roofing is the cost and mode of installation. Most roofing installations will cost builders by the square meter or usually more depending on the roofing sheet type and its framing and support (builders could use either timber or steel or both).

A builder must bear in mind, though, that roofing is installed to serve for life. A builder does not change the roof of a building as often as he changes, say, his underwear.

Thus, if cost means quality, then going for a competitively priced roofing material is a wise investment. While people wear hats for several reasons, buildings are never complete without them. Roofs are essential in completing the building’s character. More importantly, roofs protect the dwellers from the harsh elements. Roofs help make buildings wonderful pieces of architecture.

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