It may not look like a big difference but commercial buildings and industrial buildings present different and unique purposes. A commercial building may be an industrial building but it can’t be the other way around. 

The industrial building is for the purpose of businesses that deals with manufacturing goods like factories, plant, refineries, and wind farms. These type of building are designed to promote smooth foot traffic and that it supports heavy equipment. Industrial building design focuses on functionality over style. 

Commercial buildings, on the other hand, are the type of businesses that deal with catering customers like shopping stores, restaurants, and entertainment centers. These types of buildings are designed to be pleasing to attract customers’ attention in order to gain profit. 

Because of these different demands, the roofing installation differs as well.

1. Materials 

Unlike commercial roofing which caters to external factors like hailstorms, strong winds, heavy rain, and other harsh weather, this is where industrial roofing is more demanding. More than the effects of harsh weather, industrial roofing also experiences internal factors like high temperature, harmful elements, and even chemical fumes which can contribute to the deterioration of the roofing material. 

Therefore, some of the roofing materials that are used for commercial roofing may not work as equally well for industrial purposes. In choosing the roofing material for industrial purposes, you must consider the long-term effect of the internal factors with your roofing material so that it may still be durable and stable in the long run. For commercial purposes, there is a wide range of roofing materials to fit the standard of the client and future customers with the consideration of preserving durability and longevity. 

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2. Installation

Both commercial and industrial may be in different styles, sloped or flat. But most consider flat roofing systems for their commercial and industrial buildings. This is because it gives a spacious roof deck that can be dedicated to heavy equipment or solar panels. And since industrial spaces are much bigger compared to commercial spaces, the installation period is much longer. This is due to its wider covered area and double layering of roof protection to ensure that no damages to the equipment or work are delayed due to roof problems. 

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3. Maintenance and Repairs 

Due to the expensive equipment and no delay should be able to happen, industrial roofs need to have a regular, monthly, or weekly, roof inspection to see if there are signs of any damage. Damages that may escalate don’t just involve the repair of the roof itself but also would create a delay of work and breaking down of equipment which will affect the profit of the owner as well as the production and supply. Also, due to its complexity, repairs will be expensive, so doing a maintenance check from time to time will help you address any additional cost problems. 

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Commercial roofs also undergo maintenance checks by the building management as it needs to keep the tenant and customers safe under their roofs. Just like how industrial roofing causes damage to the equipment, roofing problems, especially leaking, may penetrate and find their way to the ceiling of the spaces which can damage the items that the tenants are selling. 

Preventive measures are always a must no matter what your building purpose is.