Back to school with DaVinci® Roofscapes

October 6, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

A roofer’s guide to winning campus projects with composite slate and shake.

Educational institutions ask more of a roof. A campus project may need to preserve a historic skyline, support a new building’s architectural vision, withstand severe weather and reduce maintenance demands — all while staying practical to install. For roofers, that combination creates an opportunity: recommend a product that solves the owner’s problems and helps your crew deliver a roof built to serve generations of students.

DaVinci® Roofscape’s composite slate and shake products bring authentic character together with Class A fire and Class 4 impact ratings, resistance to severe weather and strong winds, low-maintenance performance and a 50-year limited warranty. Across the country, universities, colleges and schools are using these products on historic renovations, residence halls, learning centers, laboratories, athletic facilities and highly visible mansard roofs.

Why roofers should bring davinci to the table

Win specification conversations: Offer the look of natural slate or shake with performance features campus decision makers value.
Protect historic character: Match traditional architecture with realistic profiles, textures, edges and color blends.
Address structural concerns: Provide a lightweight alternative where natural slate may be too heavy.
Reduce owner headaches: Support long-term planning with low-maintenance materials and a 50-year limited warranty.
Build confidence in severe-weather regions: Lead with Class 4 impact and Class A fire ratings.
Improve jobsite efficiency: Pre-coordinated bundles can reduce hand mixing and installation labor.
Create repeat campus work: A successful first building can become the standard for future reroofing projects.

Features roofers can turn into owner benefits

DaVinci feature	Benefit to the institution	Roofer’s selling point
Authentic slate and shake appearance	Preserves campus character and blends with historic roofs	Show how a modern system can respect the original architectural intent
Class 4 impact rating	Added protection in hail-prone regions	Position durability as a risk-management advantage
Class A fire rating	Supports demanding fire-performance goals	Lead with a clear, decision-ready performance credential
Lightweight composite construction	Can meet projects where natural slate weight is a concern	Offer the slate look without defaulting to a heavier roof
Weather and wind resistance	Confidence across varied campus climates	Connect the recommendation to local conditions
Low-maintenance material	Fewer long-term maintenance concerns	Shift the conversation from first cost to lifecycle value
Color, width and profile choices	Design flexibility for old and new buildings	Help architects coordinate with existing roofs and masonry
50-year limited warranty	Aligns with long-range capital planning	Give facilities teams a durable basis for standardization

Proof on campus: Projects that make the case

Utah State University: One successful roof becomes a campus standard

Challenge: Deteriorating cedar shakes on landmark Quad buildings dating to 1889 and 1918.
Solution: Consistent DaVinci composite shake style and color across the Geology building, Old Main and the Ray B. West building.
Contractor lesson: Deliver architectural continuity and reliable performance on the first project and the recommendation can carry across an entire campus.

“We won’t even consider another roofing product for the Quad area. We’re impressed with how the DaVinci product handles our weather conditions.”

— Quin E. Whitaker, PE, MBA, Utah State University

University of Notre Dame: The slate look without the slate weight

Challenge: A residential-style learning center could not support traditional slate.
Solution: DaVinci Multi-Width Slate delivered a natural-slate appearance that blended with surrounding campus buildings.
Owner priority: A long-term product aligned with the university’s sustainability goals.
Proof of confidence: The university project manager later selected the product for his own home.

“You can’t tell any difference from the natural slate. The roof blends in perfectly with the surrounding buildings that feature real slate.”

— Tony Polotto, LEED AP BD&C, RRC, RRO, University of Notre Dame

Phillips Exeter Academy: Modern performance, old world character

Challenge: Failing natural slate across a historic New England campus of 147 brick buildings.
Solution: Inspire® Slate on Wheelwright Dormitory, followed years later by Wetherell Dining Hall, Merrill Dormitory and Langdell Dormitory.
Performance story: Textured surfaces and deckled edges modeled from natural slate, plus lightweight construction, Class 4 hail performance and a Class A fire rating.
Contractor lesson: Restoration expertise is stronger when preservation goals are paired with improved long-term functionality.

“Using modern technology and materials to retain Old World charm and character is important.”

— Jack Sweeney, Sweeney Brothers Construction, LLC

Georgia Tech: A high-stakes roof for a wet laboratory

Challenge: A failing roof over the Daniel Environmental Engineering Laboratory, where leakage could create serious contamination and public-risk concerns.
Design constraint: Natural slate weight was a concern, but the new roof still had to complement a historic slate-roofed campus.
Solution: DaVinci Single-Width Slate in a custom blend of 70% Evergreen and 30% Light Purple.
Decision drivers: Class 4 impact resistance, Class A fire performance and historic aesthetic appeal.

“The school had a complex, high standard for this re-roofing project. And, the DaVinci composite slate product fit in every way.”

— Jeremy Dickmann, PRIMM Roofing

Mississippi State University: Crew-friendly installation

Project: Slate Gray DaVinci synthetic slate on the four-story Old Main Academic Center.
First-time installer result: The Graham Roofing team found the product more contractor friendly than other brands it had installed.
Labor advantage: Pre-coordinated bundles eliminated hand mixing and the tiles did not require corner bending before installation.

“We saved a tremendous amount of time and labor.”

— Mickey Gilmer, Graham Roofing

More campus proof points

William Penn Charter School, Pennsylvania: DaVinci Single-Width Slate helps a modern athletic and wellness center blend with a 330-plus-year-old campus.
The College of New Jersey: A roofer recommendation led to DaVinci Slate installations on a residence hall and an aquatic center.
Brownell Talbot, Nebraska: DaVinci Multi-Width Slate answered hail exposure, warranty and color-matching needs across five campus buildings.
University of Minnesota: DaVinci Multi-Width Slate was selected for Pioneer Hall for its authentic appearance, value, low maintenance and impact and fire resistance.
Thomas Edison State College, New Jersey: DaVinci Slate delivered a thick traditional profile, reflectance value and Castle Gray color coordination for a new nursing education center.
Washburn University, Kansas: DaVinci synthetic slate has been used on the alumni center, field house and art museum — demonstrating the potential for ongoing reroofing work.
Primrose School of Blue Valley, Kansas: A repeat owner chose DaVinci Single-Width Slate after a similar roof at another school performed well for six years.

Mansard roofs: Turn the roof into the campus façade

On mansard applications, roofing becomes one of the most visible architectural surfaces. Eight residence-tower buildings at the State University of New York use DaVinci Multi-Width Slate in a European blend across nearly four stories of steep mansard roofing. At Butler Community College in Kansas, 16 structures received DaVinci slate after severe hail damaged 95% of campus roofing.

“We chose the synthetic slate DaVinci tiles because they’re practically maintenance free. These durable composite tiles won’t crack or break, even if hit with a baseball bat or hammer.”

— Lynn L. Umholtz, Butler Community College

A simple playbook for the next campus opportunity

Start with the building. Identify historic character, structural limits, roof visibility and the consequences of failure.
Connect local risks to tested performance. Discuss hail, fire, wind and weather conditions in terms the facilities team can use.
Bring visual options early. Help the architect compare profiles, widths and color blends against surrounding campus roofs.
Quantify installation advantages. Explain how product handling and pre-coordinated bundles can affect labor and scheduling.
Sell the campus portfolio — not just one roof. Show how a successful installation can establish a repeatable standard across multiple buildings.
Document the long-term value. Pair low-maintenance performance with the 50-year limited warranty and the institution’s capital plan.

Own the next campus opportunity.

Recommend DaVinci composite slate and shake to give educational institutions the authentic character they want, the tested performance they demand and the long-term value they need. Deliver the first roof with confidence — and position your company as the trusted roofing partner for the next building, the next phase and the campus-wide standard.

Learn more about DaVinci Roofscapes in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.