Do shingle or metal roofs perform better than low-slope roofs?

Roofing Shingles (or more expensive metal) on residences are a reliable, low cost method of roof covering. Schools, however, are much wider, longer and use different, more fireproof construction materials than typical wood frame dwellings. These factors present many more challenges to the design of a good, long lasting roof. Many schools have had major failures and persistent leakage with shingle and/or metal roofing. On a typical house, the ridge may be 6 to 8 feet high. On a 60' to 80 foot wide school, the ridge becomes much, much higher. A great deal more volume must be constructed and, in turn, walls between spaces must be extended much higher to seal off sound and smoke. These factors add substantially to the overall cost of construction and usually result in a less than effective payback without any improvement in longevity or performance. Further, because of the sheer size of the roof, and the use of steel (non-nailable construction), many special precautions and unusual ...  more