Canton, Mass., August 3, 2005—Sarnafil Inc. (www.sarnafilus.com), a manufacturer of thermoplastic, single ply roofing and waterproofing systems, has announced the winner of its 2005 Sarnafil Sustainable Roofing Performance Award. The University of California, Davis (www.ucdavis.edu), internationally recognized as a premier institution for teaching and research in plant sciences and agriculture, is recognized for its commitment to sustainability, demonstrated by its selection of a high quality, long lasting roofing system.

A Sarnafil roof was installed in 1981 on Robbins Hall at UC Davis and still provides watertight and energy-saving protection. With a 2005 appearance that belies its age, the roof is expected to last for years to come.

“The Robbins Hall roof is in great shape. It's holding up really well,” said Steve Schmidt, roofing supervisor for facilities at UC Davis. “By the looks of the wear, the roof appears to be about seven or eight years old. It's hard to believe this roof is over 20 years old. Other roofing membranes usually don't last that long - by this time, we would have at least had to coat it to extend the life.”

The facilities department at UC Davis conducts roof inspections annually. “Our inspection process is an ongoing program due to the number of buildings we have on campus.” added Schmidt. “I know we haven't had any problems with the Sarnafil roof on the North section of Robbins Hall, though we have had problems with some of our other roofs that aren't covered with Sarnafil.”

ASTM 4434 Test Results

The samples, sent to the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) Institute for Research in Construction, were tested according to the requirements of ASTM D-4434, Standard Specification for Polyvinyl Chloride Sheet Roofing. The properties of the samples were compared to the ASTM standards for new membrane. Remarkably, 94 percent of the samples met the minimum thickness standards, 97 percent met the requirement for linear dimension change and 100 percent of the seams remained intact following the seam-strength tests. This is truly an impressive performance for roofs of this age.