PATH - A Public Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology

October 4, 2004

PATH Launches Roadmapping Effort for Residential Roofs

The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) recently awarded a contract to Newport Partners LLC to develop a technology roadmap for roofs and surrounding systems on new and existing homes. PATH uses roadmapping -- a process whereby parties most affected by an issue work together to address common interests -- to help identify and prioritize R&D and related activities.

Speaking at a tour of housing in hurricane-ravaged Florida, U.S. Department of Housing Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research Dennis Shea emphasized the importance of the roofing roadmap. "Over the next few years, we will be conducting research with the goal of making roofing systems more disaster resistant, more durable, and more energy efficient."

The roofing roadmap will follow a similar process as previous PATH roadmaps. Manufacturers, remodelers, roofing contractors, and others will come together to develop a plan for how the industry and government can improve roofing systems in homes.

The roofing roadmap is one of series of roadmaps developed or underway. Other PATH roadmaps address information technology, whole-house design, advanced panelized construction, energy efficiency, and manufactured housing. With the other roadmaps moving into the implementation stage, the roofing roadmap will now take center stage.

According to Mark Nowak, project manager on the roadmap effort, "One goal of the roofing roadmap will be to identify innovative approaches to take roof systems to higher levels of performance, function, and appearance than today's systems." Innovations that may be appropriate include:

• applying manufacturing techniques to the roof construction to achieve more function with fewer parts. For example, panel systems might come with a finished exterior or an integrated photovoltaic system for solar energy generation.
• systems that better address openings or other discontinuities in the roof covering to prevent water intrusion.
• approaches that improve safety such as robotics for conducting tasks in risky locations, or complete systems built on the ground or in the factory and lifted in place by equipment.

For further information on the project, or if your company is interested in participating in the roadmap development, contact Mark Nowak at Newport Partners, LLC of Davidsonville, Maryland.

Content updated on 3/8/2005

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