🏗️ WaterRoofs in Modular Construction: Climate-Tech Meets Modular Revolution

Melanie Galpin
Aug 18
2 min read

The modular building boom is reshaping modern construction—offering faster, greener, and more adaptive solutions for today’s urban needs. Yet while modular walls and interiors have evolved, rooftops often remain passive or outdated.

At WaterRoofs, we’re changing that—integrating evaporative, recyclable roofing into modular systems to deliver climate performance where it matters most: the top layer.

🔧 Modular Construction: A Climate Innovation Engine

Modular (prefabricated) buildings are constructed off-site and assembled on-site—reducing waste, shortening timelines, and enabling high-performance design:

Up to 90% material waste reduction
Standardized production and consistent quality
Greater flexibility in reuse, relocation, and adaptation
Faster delivery, especially in housing or emergency infrastructure

But many modular structures still use conventional rooftops—designed to shed water, absorb heat, and miss their climate potential.

🌱 UHCS: A PET-Based Modular Building System

UHCS (Ustinov Hoffmann Construction System), co-developed by Igor Ustinov, is a patented, beam-and-pillar structural system made entirely from recycled PET. It includes:

Load-bearing PET beams and columns
Wall panels made from PET-based insulating materials
Complete modularity—designed for cost-efficiency and recyclability
Lightweight components that can be disassembled and reused

This structural system complements WaterRoofs perfectly—both use recycled PET, both are designed for adaptability, and together they form a full, circular, climate-conscious building envelope.

💧 Why Evaporative Roofs Matter in Modular Builds

WaterRoofs brings evaporative functionality to modular buildings:

Tiles are made from recycled PET
Engineered with internal micro-grooves that retain rainwater
Slowly release water through evaporation—cooling rooftops and surrounding air
Return up to 750 L/m²/year to the atmosphere
Install quickly without heavy soil or ballast
Compatible with PV, green roofing, or rainwater harvesting systems

This makes them ideal for modular housing, emergency units, pop-up buildings, and prefab community infrastructure.

🌍 How WaterRoofs Supports Modular Trends

Trend	Role of WaterRoofs
Energy-efficient modules	Adds passive rooftop cooling and evaporative comfort
Circular materials	Uses recycled PET in both roof and wall systems (via UHCS)
Fast deployment	Snap-fit modular tiles install quickly on prefab units
Green-certified prefabs	Integrates blue–green performance without extra soil load or structural change

Architects across Europe and North America are now embedding solar panels, water walls, and biophilic features into modular designs. Adding WaterRoofs amplifies those efforts—without complicating deployment.

🏙️ Real-World Examples

Unit‑Design and Terhalle have prototyped modular timber canopy roofs with PV and green features
The RESILIO Project in Amsterdam uses modular blue–green trays to store water beneath rooftop vegetation

WaterRoofs builds on these ideas, offering a prefabricated PET-based roofing system with evaporative cooling as its core function.

✅ The Big Picture: Climate-Ready Modularity

WaterRoofs + UHCS isn’t just a design combo—it’s a climate architecture strategy.