Two brothers, Pat and Chuck Johnson, US roofing company Acrylife, and Virginia Tech research team designed an omni directional roof vent to help preserve reflective roof membranes (cool roofs), as well as conventional roofs from being lifted off or torn from wind damage. Low pitched membrane roofs are the main systems this vent was designed for.
The omni directional vent is designed to capture wind from every direction and then produces suction that keeps the roof membranes in place. The wind is constricted, making it more dynamic as it enters the lower half of the vent and then it is forced upward, this strong wind stream removes air below in the roofing system causing a powerful suction effect.
Chuck and Pat Johnson, principals at Acrylife, came up with the idea in 2002. They took their idea to Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies and College of Engineering research team to help them test and develop the idea.
Acrylife has been using a version into its’ roofing systems it calls Venturi Vent Technology, V2T. The research team is focused on bringing a low cost version that can be commercially manufactured. They are also looking at issues surrounding the use of the vent that will aid roof installers and manufacturers, such as the correct spacing of the vents, and how the vents react to different roof membranes and insulation.
