Inverted Roof Vs Warm Roof

Benefits of inverted roofs.

Inverted roof vs warm roof.

You create a warm roof or a cold roof simply by applying the layers of the roof in a different order. There are three recognised designs of flat roof construction. The great benefit of inverted roofs is that the insulation protects the membrane from extremes of weather such as frost uv exposure and the expansion and contraction that comes about from summer winter temperature cycles which can be as much as 80 c on some roofs. The breakdown warm roof vs cold roof.

When we talk about a warm roof vs a cold roof what we re really talking about is the insulation of the flat roof. Warm cold and inverted. An inverted roof also referred to as a protected membrane or upside down roof is form of flat roof in which the waterproofing layer is beneath the thermal insulation rather than above it. Basically there are two options to choose from when insulating a flat roof.

An inverted roof is quite simply where the waterproofing layer is installed over the structural deck rather than over the insulation. The problem with this kind of flat roof. Warm roofs a warm roof includes insulation above the structural deck. Inverted roof designing buildings wiki share your construction industry knowledge.

Namely the insulation layers. The thermal efficiency isn t as good as with warm roof. Installing a warm roof can be extremely straight forward and simple to do. A cold flat roof insulation requires more work taking off old boards and replacing them and the roof surface.

Rigid extruded polystyrene insulation has minimal water absorption due to its closed cell structure. While traditional roofs place the insulation under the protective membrane inverted roofs are designed with the waterproofing layer usually a liquid applied membrane beneath the insulation. In a warm roof construction the principal thermal insulation layer is located above the structural decking resulting in the structural deck and support structure being at a temperature close to that of the interior of the building. Warm roof insulation ensures the entire roof structure is insulated meaning a warm deck roof is more energy efficient than a cold roof.

In a cold roof the insulation is applied between the rafters but in a warm roof the insulation is applied on top of the existing roof surface. The waterproof covering is placed above the insulation and a vapour control layer is placed below the insulation. Inverted roofs or upside down roofs have the insulation laid onto the waterproofing membrane.