Most consultants agree that the sluggish economy is bringing increased attention to roof maintenance. Rick Cook, a partner in ADC Engineering in Charleston, S.C., and the current president of RCI, Inc., sees contractors expanding that mindset to the entire building envelope.

Most consultants agree that the sluggish economy is bringing increased attention to roof maintenance. Rick Cook, a partner in ADC Engineering in Charleston, S.C., and the current president of RCI, Inc., sees contractors expanding that mindset to the entire building envelope. “It’s not just roofing - it’s the entire building envelope,” he said. “It’s evolved in that sense in individual projects, with specific clients, and the industry as a whole.”

“Typically, ninety percent of leaks are at penetrations and terminations,” Cook said. “We started out providing predominately roof consulting services and in the evolution of the last 20 years we’ve performed just as much with exterior walls. It’s that way throughout the industry. If you look at the major manufacturers, they don’t just have roofing products. Contractors are handling more building envelope issues. The industry is evolving. With consultants, it’s the same way - often the word ‘roofing’ was part of a company’s name, and now it’s becoming ‘building envelope.’”

“It’s the same thing with RCI, Inc.” he continued. “We used to be known as the Roof Consultants Institute, but on our website we now refer to ourselves as ‘an international association of professional consultants, architects, and engineers who specialize in the specification and design of roofing, waterproofing and exterior wall systems.’ Our cornerstone, our backbone, is still roofing. At RCI, that’s the way it is with most of our members, but we do see the evolution - the change - occurring.”

The expansion into other parts of the building envelope is evident in RCI’s registration programs, which now designate professionals not only as a Registered Roof Consultant (RRC), but a Registered Waterproofing Consultant (RWC), and a Registered Exterior Wall Consultant (REWC) as well. “For individuals who achieve all three of those, you become a Registered Building Envelope Consultant (RBEC) - that’s the pinnacle,” said Cook.

There are a number of excellent educational opportunities offered by RCI, noted Cook, especially at the association’s annual convention and its Building Envelope Symposium, which will be held this year in Charlotte, N.C., Oct 10-11.

For more consultants views on roof maintenance, check out the article “Consultants Stress the Value of Preventive Maintenance” atwww.arwmag.com.

For more information about RCI, Inc, visitwww.rci-online.org.