Reader Response (Draft 3)
The article "The concrete advantage" explains how waterproof concrete rooftop is more durable and reliable than the membrane system. The construction of the waterproof concrete will be simpler and faster when the membranes are removed as it would not require any detailing and designing work. The article further explains that waterproof concrete reduces exposure to risks as cracks are easily repaired with just a simple injection. As the concrete used is already waterproof, there is a high probability to eliminate the need for root barrier in the construction. Finally, the article concludes that waterproof concrete lowers the overall cost of the project, which results in better investment. In addition, the most critical system in a building is the roofing system. In order for the rooftop system to be durable and cost-saving, waterproof concrete is the more suitable than the membrane system in terms of three factors.
First of all, the main concern of selecting the most suitable roofing system is the need for maintenance in the future. Maintenance would be very costly if the roofing system is not durable and requires frequent repairs. The membrane system is one of the high maintenance roofing systems. The webpage "MR MULTI-PLY THERMAL-TEC(2018)" states that even with only a small leakage, the technician would have to examine the whole roof system and has to make multiple trips to find out the exact location of the leakage. Furthermore, it will be even more costly to fix it as it requires the technician to remove everything above the membrane system and to replace it. On the other hand, with the use of waterproof concrete, leakage will be easily noticeable as it comes from only a crack or a badly sealed penetration. The cost of fixing the leakage is affordable as it only requires a simple polyurethane grout injection to repair the cracks without disrupting the whole roof.
Time is another concern when it comes to the selection of the roofing system. Most building owners would want their buildings to be processed and constructed in the fastest time possible. In a case study "Evidence of greenroof successes from across the country and around the world" by Green rooftops stated that the architect saved up to eight weeks of design time by using concrete waterproofing instead of the membrane system. With the use of waterproof concrete, there is not a need for any detailed designing as the design is just a simple structural concrete slab with waterproofing built right in. The membrane system however, requires a lot of time during the design and detailing phase. This is because the architect has to make sure that the membranes installed will not affect the future maintenance and improvement works of the roof. With that being said, the use of waterproof concrete will not only save time but also save costs for the project.
The last concern of selecting a roofing system is the importance of maintaining the aesthetics of the building. The webpage "TITANWATERPROOFING(2018)" states that with the waterproof concrete being used, it can prevent structural damage from seepage and will not affect the aesthetics of the building. Vegetation can also be planted on the rooftop to improve the aesthetics without worrying about damaging them during maintenance or any repair works. However, even though the installation of membranes system also helps to prevent structural damage from the leakage. The maintenance and repairing works will lead to the damage and disruption of the plants growing around. Therefore, waterproof concrete is able to help improve the aesthetics of the building which also adds value to the property.
In conclusion, although the membrane system works the same way to prevent water seepage, waterproof concrete is still more suitable in terms of cost, time and aesthetics.
References:
Green Rooftops (2011). Analysis: The Concrete Advantage. Retrieved from
http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html
Green Rooftops (2011). Analysis: A case study on Evidence of greenroom successes from across the country and around the world. Retrieved from http://www.greenrooftops.org/case.html
KLEENCO CONSTRUCTION (2017, May 03) Analysis: Benefits to waterproof concrete. Retrieved from http://kleencoconstruction.com/news/4-benefits-waterproofing-concrete/
MULTI-PLY THERMAL-TEC (2018, October 10). Analysis: Limitations of the Membrane roofing system. Retrieved from https://thermal-tec.com/limitations-of-membrane-roofing-systems
TITAN WATERPROOFING (2018). Analysis: Key benefits of concrete waterproofing. Retrieved from https://www.titanwaterproofing.com.au/5-key-benefits-of-waterproofing/
First of all, the main concern of selecting the most suitable roofing system is the need for maintenance in the future. Maintenance would be very costly if the roofing system is not durable and requires frequent repairs. The membrane system is one of the high maintenance roofing systems. The webpage "MR MULTI-PLY THERMAL-TEC(2018)" states that even with only a small leakage, the technician would have to examine the whole roof system and has to make multiple trips to find out the exact location of the leakage. Furthermore, it will be even more costly to fix it as it requires the technician to remove everything above the membrane system and to replace it. On the other hand, with the use of waterproof concrete, leakage will be easily noticeable as it comes from only a crack or a badly sealed penetration. The cost of fixing the leakage is affordable as it only requires a simple polyurethane grout injection to repair the cracks without disrupting the whole roof.
Time is another concern when it comes to the selection of the roofing system. Most building owners would want their buildings to be processed and constructed in the fastest time possible. In a case study "Evidence of greenroof successes from across the country and around the world" by Green rooftops stated that the architect saved up to eight weeks of design time by using concrete waterproofing instead of the membrane system. With the use of waterproof concrete, there is not a need for any detailed designing as the design is just a simple structural concrete slab with waterproofing built right in. The membrane system however, requires a lot of time during the design and detailing phase. This is because the architect has to make sure that the membranes installed will not affect the future maintenance and improvement works of the roof. With that being said, the use of waterproof concrete will not only save time but also save costs for the project.
The last concern of selecting a roofing system is the importance of maintaining the aesthetics of the building. The webpage "TITANWATERPROOFING(2018)" states that with the waterproof concrete being used, it can prevent structural damage from seepage and will not affect the aesthetics of the building. Vegetation can also be planted on the rooftop to improve the aesthetics without worrying about damaging them during maintenance or any repair works. However, even though the installation of membranes system also helps to prevent structural damage from the leakage. The maintenance and repairing works will lead to the damage and disruption of the plants growing around. Therefore, waterproof concrete is able to help improve the aesthetics of the building which also adds value to the property.
In conclusion, although the membrane system works the same way to prevent water seepage, waterproof concrete is still more suitable in terms of cost, time and aesthetics.
References:
Green Rooftops (2011). Analysis: The Concrete Advantage. Retrieved from
http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html
Green Rooftops (2011). Analysis: A case study on Evidence of greenroom successes from across the country and around the world. Retrieved from http://www.greenrooftops.org/case.html
KLEENCO CONSTRUCTION (2017, May 03) Analysis: Benefits to waterproof concrete. Retrieved from http://kleencoconstruction.com/news/4-benefits-waterproofing-concrete/
MULTI-PLY THERMAL-TEC (2018, October 10). Analysis: Limitations of the Membrane roofing system. Retrieved from https://thermal-tec.com/limitations-of-membrane-roofing-systems
TITAN WATERPROOFING (2018). Analysis: Key benefits of concrete waterproofing. Retrieved from https://www.titanwaterproofing.com.au/5-key-benefits-of-waterproofing/
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