SPF Roofing and Texas A&M – Part 2: History of SPF Roofing

Where did SPF roofing get its start?
It’s helpful knowing the history of a product, especially if there’s a good story to be heard. Texas A&M University put SPF roofing on the map in the early 1980s with their campus buildings. How did good ol’ Aggieland hear about SPF roofing? For that answer, we need to wind the clock back even earlier.
The history of SPF roof insulation
It was the 1937 and Europe was on the verge of erupting into WWII. A German chemical company named IG Farben (Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie) was home to Otto Bayer, one of the lead developers of a new plastic substance called polyurethane. This unique material was used to coat airplanes and showed remarkable promise and durability. (Journal of Chemical Education)
Following the war, companies like DuPont, Union Carbide, and BASF developed a variety of polyurethanes in the 1950s. The initial application served as an interior insulation material, specifically for automobiles. It wasn’t until the 1970s that SPF (spray polyurethane foam) was first used as a roofing insulation.
Texas A&M University was the first noteworthy entity to use SPF insulation for roofing on any large scale. 27 campus buildings with over 7 million square feet worth of leaky BUR (built-up roofs) made for one Texas-sized headache. (Source) This was SPF’s chance to shine. The Texas A&M Physical Plant maintenance crew installed SPF roofs on all the campus buildings from 1980 to 1984 and SPF had a brand-new reputation.
SPF roofing: the best commercial roofing solution, period!
SPF roofs now carry over 40 years of industry excellence as the best available commercial roofing solution today. R&A Contracting installs tens and tens of thousands square feet of SPF roofing every year and we stand behind SPF all the way. SPF roofs regularly save building owners up to 40% per year in energy costs and often pay for their installation cost within the first five years of their life-cycle.