The thermal insulation of flat roofs is an important issue both for winter chill and summer heat. The performance and longevity of flat roofs depend upon many factors including the position of the insulation within the structure. Inverted flat roof construction holds numerous advantages for flat roofing and provides the best solution because:
- the roofing membrane is installed directly on top of the structural deck
- the water-proofing membrane is protected by the insulation
- there is a simple build-up of layers without an additional vapour barrier
- the installation of layers above the waterproof membrane is independent of weather
- the insulation is easy and fast to install over the water proofing layer
- any defect in the waterproofing is simple to locate and repair, replacing the insulation afterwards
Inverted roofs comply with the building energy requirement that thermal protection should be unbroken and installed on the outside surface of the building structure. Thermal insulation efficiently reduces outbound heat flows when the building is heated, while in the summer it prevents building structures from warming up, thereby significantly reducing (or, ideally, excluding) the need for air conditioning.