History Of Zinc Roofing

Being one of the more recent metal roofing technologies history has still proven that it provides a distinguishable long term option for a metal roofing system.

History of zinc roofing. Zinc standing seam roof in poland. Flat seam metal roofing was used here on the problematic areas. For decades it has been the preferred choice for roofs all over the world in the form of architectural zinc rheinzink. In paris 85 of roofs are constructed of rolled zinc most of which are original roofs from the mid 19 th century.

A metal roof is a roofing system made from metal pieces or tiles characterized by its high resistance impermeability and longevity. It is a component of the building envelope. A brief history of zinc and copper roofing zinc the ancient babylonians and assyrians used zinc as part of the alloying process to produce brass but it was in the 13th century that india first obtained metallic zinc through smelting. In greece and egypt the use of zinc since antiquity has been proven with the discovery of jewellery and funeral urns.

As mines and mills opened in the united states domestic production replaced imports. Brass supplemented bronze during the roman empire in the manufacture of coins weapons and art. Lead copper and tin plate most often came from great britain while the first zinc came from belgium. Galvanizing with zinc to protect the base metal from rust was developed in france in 1837.

By the 1850s the material was used on post offices and customhouses as well as on train sheds and factories. As with other roofing materials the earliest uses of metals for american roofing employed imported products. Vmzinc history in metal roofing. Copper has always been a popular choice of metal for roofing because of its ease of handling and the beautiful way it ages.

Zinc has a rich global history and is known for its long lifespan. Zinc started to be used in roofs in the 1700s and remains popular today as an alternative to copper. In 1834 the american architect william strickland proposed corrugated iron to cover his design for the market place in philadelphia. After developing an original production process an imperial decree was granted to jean jacques dony to mine the zinc ore deposit at la vieille montagne.

This natural material has traced a prestigious course for almost half a century. With average lifespans of 80 100 a zinc roof will far outlast most other roofing options. The ancient egyptians used aluminum and alum compounds to strengthen their roofing. By the 1400s flat copper sheeting began to be used in europe particularly on churches.