Any modern field of activity is subject to its own rules and standards. In construction, these are certain use of specific materials and technologies. However, as you know, rules are there to be broken. And it is precisely as a result of such thoughtful and balanced violations that the most interesting and non-standard, but at the same time high-quality and reliable solutions appear. A striking example of such a solution is an inverted roof.
Flat roof
The roof is an integral part of any building. It can have a different shape and configuration, have a different coating.
However, all roofs are subordinated to the same goals - protecting the interior of the house from external influences, as well as giving the house a finished look that is pleasing to the eye.
But there is a special type of roof, which has another, more practical purpose. This is the so-called soft roof.
She got her name because of the somewhat softness of her coating, in comparison with the more traditional shingles of pitched roofs.
Such a roof is a completely flat surface, covered with special materials resistant to abrasion and various mechanical influences.
Except for protective and decorative purposes soft top has a much more functional application. It can be used as a separate large-scale open-air space, where you can hold various events or just get some fresh air.
The design of such a roof is often specially calculated taking into account such use.
The device of a flat roof is quite simple, in most cases it consists of the following elements:
- Roof base. This role is usually performed by a solid reinforced concrete slab or similar structure.
- Roof insulation. It serves to protect against temperature fluctuations and ensure a constant temperature regime.
- waterproofing layer. Protection from excessive moisture and precipitation.
- Drainage cover. Optional layer, usually made of gravel.
- External roofing. It can be completely different - from soft and practical roll materials to hard and reliable paving slabs.
Thus, despite the possible variety of materials used, a flat roof consists of two soft insulating layers enclosed between hard coatings.
However, if the base surface is sufficiently protected from all possible external influences, the top layer is not so reliable. No matter how dense and durable the layer of roofing material is, sudden changes in temperature and constant solar exposure have their effect on the waterproofing directly below it.
As a result, this protective layer can change its texture, crack, and eventually lose useful properties.
In order to avoid such problems, the so-called inversion roof was invented - what it is is quite simple to designate: it is a flat roof with a reverse arrangement of protective layers.
That is, the heat-insulating layer is located above the waterproofing, which provides it with protection from temperature extremes and the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation.
Features of using an inverted roof
The main advantage of an inverted roof over a conventional flat roof is its increased reliability and durability.
A traditional roof can collapse over time under the influence of a variety of natural external factors, while an inverted roof is almost completely devoid of this drawback.
In addition, the simplicity of its design allows the use of this type of roofing for already built buildings, without resorting to additional technical tricks.
To do this, it is enough just to remove the existing layers from the roof surface, and then re-lay out the insulating materials in the right order.
Such a seemingly insignificant change can have a very significant impact on the operational properties of the roof, allowing more efficient use of all available space.
Due to their functional properties, inverted roofs are more often used in public buildings.
In particular, this type of roof is used to cover:
- kindergartens and schools
- factories and plants
- various production and storage facilities.
In a word - wherever the roof surface has a sufficiently large area. After all, it is in such cases that additional usable space is of no small importance.
However, it is possible to arrange an inversion type of a flat roof in private houses.
If we talk about the operation of such a roof, then it can be used to organize:
- Periodic meetings that require the simultaneous presence of a large number of people. These can range from formal conferences and meetings to less formal parties and tea parties.
- Comfortable and spacious open air studio. The dark enclosed spaces of the interior rooms can be a little uncomfortable for a creative person, and the roof area provides the necessary space, combined with a quiet and peaceful environment.
- A playground for older children, however, in this case, additional security measures are required. But the advantages of such use are undeniable - the children are actually on the territory of the house, but at the same time, they are busy with their own affairs and do not interfere with adults.
- Many other activities that require additional free space.
As you can see, this type of roof gets along well both in municipal buildings and in private properties.
Installation of an inverted roof
There are three main types of inversion type roofing, subdivided according to the expected loads on the roof surface. Depending on the specific type, the methods for creating such a coating also differ.
- Inverted roofing for minimum loads consists only of insulating layers and a light outer covering of rolled materials. This design is most suitable for use in private homes and small organizations. It does not load the roof and does not require significant investments, but at the same time it is quite resistant to limited mechanical stress.
- The inverted roof for medium loads is used in cases where the impact on the roof surface exceeds the usual household level. In the construction of such a roof, slightly more durable insulation is used, and durable paving slabs or similar material is used as an external covering.
- Roofing designed for increased loads is used in special cases when special strength and reliability are required. For example, a roof used for car parking. Here, in addition to the main insulating layers, intermediate layers of reinforced materials are also laid, and a reinforced reinforced concrete slab is used as an external coating.
Each type of coating has its own scope and features of laying.
A roof with a minimum level of protection consists only of a layer of waterproofing, insulation, and an external coating laid on it.
As which can be used as a special roofing material from the category of rolled, as well as many other types of coating, including even small gravel.
The latter, by the way, is very resistant to abrasion and can be used in cases where the use of the roof involves active movement on the roof surface.
The installation of such a roof consists of the following steps:
- Laying a reinforced concrete slab, which is the basis of all structures. When using built-up waterproofing, the surface of the slab should be pre-treated with a primer.
- Creation of a waterproofing layer. It consists in attaching a special membrane, pvc or other suitable material to a cleaned concrete surface.
- Protection of the previous layer with insulation. The method of assembling the thermal insulation system depends on the type of material chosen.
- Support cover installation. Usually it is a layer of geotextile, which is an intermediate material between the internal insulating and external functional layers.
- The device of the external roofing layer by fusing rolled material or pouring crushed stone.
Designed for medium load, the inversion roof has a slightly more complex structure. In addition to all of the above, it includes paving slabs, which makes the roof structure much stronger, but at the same time much heavier.
The increase in the weight of the outer layer requires the use of stronger insulating materials that can withstand the additional load.The rest of the installation process is the same as in the previous case.
The most difficult is the roof structure with increased resistance to loads. During its installation, the entire system should be strengthened with several additional separating layers of high-strength geotextile.
Their inclusion avoids accidental damage to the insulating layers due to excessive load from the outside. In addition, this type of roof involves the use of a powerful concrete slab as the outer covering of the entire structure, which in itself is a considerable load.
Advice. Carefully approach the choice of the type of roof you need - excessive weight of the structure can harm no less than insufficient reliability of its coating.
Summing up everything written, it can be noted that the innovative technology of inversion roofing is, of course, some kind of breakthrough in its field.
Roofs made using this technology perfectly cope with the tasks assigned to them, however, the specifics of their operation, no doubt, imposes some limits on the widespread use of this technology.
Inverted flat roofs are designed primarily for those cases where the practicality of the roof is much more important than its aesthetics.
However, the unsightly (and moreover, inconspicuous) appearance of flat roofs is perhaps their only “disadvantage”. In terms of the rest of the parameters, they will easily give odds to many of their pitched comrades.
And the best representative of modern flat roofs is, of course, the inverted roof, which can rightfully be considered the most reliable and durable type of roofing today.
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