The Metal Construction Association’s (MCA) 2014 Annual Meeting was held in January in Clearwater Beach, Fla. The meeting was well attended with a number of new faces and member companies since the previous meeting and it included a busy agenda of technical activity.
The Codes and Standards Council discussed a number of code issues that were debated as part of the International Code Council
(ICC) review process throughout the year. The final hearings took place in the fall, and MCA submitted several proposals. Some met with success and others not so much. All had an impact on the direction of development for the ICC Codes. The results of the fall hearings provide direction for a number of construction areas including roofing, wall cladding, insulated metal panels and metal composite material (MCM) panel systems.
In the Roofing Council meeting, it was reported a project involving 14 roof inspections in the low-slope unpainted standing seam metal roofing service life project has been completed. An update was given on the performance of Galvalume SSRs that were part of the inspection program. Analysis of the butyl sealants, ancillary materials and the Galvalume coating on these roofs are part of the assessment in projecting useful service life in a variety of climates. A comprehensive report of the work is nearing completion.
The Insulated Metal Panel Council discussed plans to create a testing protocol for the aged performance of insulated metal panels to address the new performance standards that went into effect in January 2014. The issue of fire retardants in foam insulation was also an agenda item. The council is working with the Energy Efficient Foams Coalition (EEFC) which has a mission to promote the benefits of foam insulation products and provide factual information that brings a credible, science-based perspective to discussions surrounding the use of flame retardants in foam insulation. EEFC is involved in legislation and code work to address restrictions in the use of fire retardants.
A research project in Washington to collect and analyze rainwater runoff from a variety of roof materials is near completion. MCA is participating in the project with mock-ups of unpainted 55 percent Al-Zn coated steel, prepainted G90 and copper roofing. The Washington Department of Ecology has analyzed the metals and chemicals in rainwater collected after rain events and has issued a report that is being evaluated by the participants.
The Department of Defense (DOD) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) demonstration project at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, was also discussed at the MCA meeting. The project involves a metal roof retrofit system integrating additional insulation, radiant barrier, above sheathing ventilation, solar thermal water heating, photovoltaics, cool roofing and rainwater harvesting. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., measured energy usage before and after the retrofit was installed. The collection of data has ended and all information is being evaluated. A final report will be issued to the DOD and eventually made available to the public on the MCA website.
The MCM Fabricators Council just issued a code analysis document for Chapter 14 of the International Building Code. This will be an important tool for the designers and code officials regarding the use of MCM panels. The council is also working on several other tools that will help lead to a better understanding of MCM performance as measured by National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 285 standard. There are a number of additional projects underway that include a complete specification providing guidance from the manufacture of the metal composite panel, through fabrication, and including the performance of the installation system used during construction. The MCM Council is also looking at the ICC Evaluation Service acceptance criteria for MCM panels, as well as high wind transfer within rainscreen systems similar to what is seen in Florida.
The MCA has developed three Environmental Product Disclosure
(EPD) documents, which have now been reviewed and registered by UL Environment. The EPDs include insulated metal panels, metal composite material panels and rollformed metal panels (roof and wall). The USGBC’s LEED v4 program now provides points for projects that use building materials that have EPDs. The industry-wide EPDs that were developed will allow MCA members to provide materials to LEED registered projects and help the project to qualify for points in the Materials and Resources section of LEED. An analysis of the LEED v4 and its impact on the metal construction industry was also discussed at the meeting.
A variety of new projects were added to those that are currently underway. Among these projects are:
- Developing a standard for perimeter edge metal on metal roofing
- Creating a white paper on the issues related to spray foam applied directly to metal roof or wall panels
- Creating a corrosion performance protocol to evaluate the growing number of new substrates being introduced into the metal construction industry
- In support of the Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues
(RICOWI), MCA will participate in widespread evaluation of the performance of residential metal roofing in hail, wind, fire, cold and seismic conditions, as part of a larger project involving the Institute for Business and Home Safety - Creating a white paper on the design and performance of perforated metal panels
- Completing the Metal Roofing Installation Manual
- Developing a Roofing Retrofit Design Manual
Our goal is to make the technical efforts of MCA of greater value to both our members and the construction market at large. We feel that creation and communication of proper, high-quality construction standards will elevate the use of metal over other construction materials.
We strongly encourage producers, users and installation contractors working with metal materials to become involved with the development of these training documents to ensure that they are properly represented in the construction world.
—————————————————————————————————————–
Scott Kriner is the president of Green Metal Consulting Inc., Macungie, Pa., and a principal in RSK Avanti Partners LLC, Richardson, Texas. He is a LEED Accredited Professional (Operations and Maintenance) and wrote a book titled “Wait and See.” He also serves the Metal Construction Association as technical director.
Andy Williams is the director of codes and standards for the Metal Construction Association. He is a professional engineer who began his career in the wall cladding industry in 1982. For more information about MCA, go to www.metalconstruction.org and
www.themetalinitiative.com.
