The Standing Seam

Why Traditional Metal Roofing?

— Appearance — A well-clad metal building stands out — natural, ageless, elegant.

— Longevity & Durability — Traditional Metal Roofing techniques perfected over centuries deliver reliability that modern methods relying on synthetics for watertightness can't imitate.

— Reliability — Sheets connected by folding their edges together into seams — with fasteners tucked inside, away from elements. Properly formed seams are inherently watertight, accommodate thermal expansion and resistant to the never ceasing tugging by winds. Soldering is kept to a minimum due to its tendency for cracking.

— Current systems — Prioritize on speed and cost, lacking of independent US tracking of long-term performance — leaving architects and engineers without solid feedback. Specs rely on anecdotal "best practices" and un-enforceable warranties.
Modern hybrid sustems substitute traditional waterproofing solutions with synthetics, often struggling after a mere dozen of years. Underlayment and sealants degradation, unmitigated mechanical stresses, persistent elevated humidity and myriad of other unforeseen issues.

Copper, Zinc, Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium.

Copper. — Unmatched longevity. Iconic verdigris patina. Valued since antiquity. Lasts 200–700+ years (with many historic examples still intact).

Zinc. — Life cycle of 80+ years. First adopted successfuly on a large scale for roofing during mid-19th Century renovation of Paris.
According to NPS surveys on historic buildings, Zinc in US experienced cyclic popularity bursts, followed by decades of aversion, hinting at poor understandment of its characteristics and unsuitable installation techniques.

Lead. — Low-cost, reliable material of choice for millennia. Life span of 40 years. With end of its life-cycle it was commonly re-cast on-site into new lead sheets and reinstalled. Currently displaced from US market due to its toxicity

Aluminum. — Slightly shorter life span than zinc. Currently available alloys don't yeld well into traditional hand-formed details; the workable ones vanished from markets years ago. Shares with zinc and Lead, sensitivity to condensation and standing water

Stainless steel, Titanium, Monel, Terne. — Less common but excellent elternatives for metal roofing and facade cladding.

The Standing Seam brings proven reliability and traditional techniques back to your projects.