• Stainless Steel in Architecture

Roofing

The Architectural application of stainless steel for roofing, has been extremely successful and at less cost than some other forms of metal roofing. It is a material ideally suited for roofing both low rise and high rise commercial and industrial buildings. For residential applications stainless steel adds a touch of class and beauty to many new architect designed homes, giving the house attractive and permanent protection for many decades. Stainless steel creates a dignity that befits the modern as well as traditional style structures while providing a roof that will remain maintenance free for the life of the building.

The excellent corrosion resistance, durability, high strength and good ductility are ideal properties for roofing and permit thin gauge material to be specified. Traditional systems such as standing seam and batten roll – which has visually bolder lines – use only 0.4mm thick stainless steel strip, in lengths up to 9m with either a matt rolled finish or terne coated material. Terne coated stainless steel (TCS) is 304 stainless steel coated with terne alloy (20%tin, 80%lead). By overcoming virtually all the major problems inherent with other roofing materials, TCS provides the architect with a superbly functional and aesthetically pleasing roof free from maintenance.

Profiled, secret fix, prefabricated panels and seam welded folded joint systems demonstrate further adaptions and use of stainless steel – which together with gutters, sumps, downpipes, outlets, ridge and eaves sheeting – provide a complete system for long life with minimum maintenance. Coloured resin coated stainless steel, successfully developed and used in Japan, provides a new and attractive alternative for the architect. Properly installed, a stainless steel roof not only provides beauty and style but will last as long as the building it protects, at a cost competitive with many other roofing and flashing materials.

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