Green Roofs

Urban & Institutional Green Roofs
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/urban-institutional-green-roofs.html


Hotel Foroyar - Faroe Islands. Architects Friis & Moltke. Pic by catheadsix flickr.com





L'Historial de Vendee, museum, Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne, France. Plan01 Architects www.plan01.com





California Academy of Sciences by Renzo Piano calacademy.org





GrinGrin Building for Island City Central Park, Fukuoka pref, Japan. Architect: Toyo Ito.





GrinGrin Building for Island City Central Park, Fukuoka pref, Japan. Architect: Toyo Ito. Pic: openbuildings.com





Nanyang Technological University in Singapore by CPG Consultants Pte Ltd. Pic source




Nanyang Technological University in Singapore Pic: cpgcorp.com.sg





ACROS Fukoka Building





ACROS Fukoka Building, government offices and 100,000-square-foot park laid onto 15 stepped terraces.





The ultimate urban rooftop. Green roof with wastewater treatment capabilities. greenroofing.tumblr.com





Vulcano Buono Nola Mall, Naples, Italy by Renzo Piano www.archdaily.com





Garak Market, Seoul, South Korea. The redevelopment of the market is scheduled to last 11 years - from 2009 to 2020. Pic: worldarchitecturenews.com Architects: www.samoo.com





Urban Green Roofs. Flickr image marcelhs01 flickr.com




Green roofed school plans, Belgium. By NL Architects via www.designboom.com





Green roof Australia. Wildroof Landscapes.





Rooftop green. Richmond Street, Toronto. www.sentex.net





Green Roof, Toronto. Pic by Inventor77 flickr.com





Green Roof & solar panels, Brooklyn, NY. Pic by Kieran k Meadows flickr.com





Green Roof, New York City by e-bad flickr.com





Green Roof for 'bugs', London by Green Roof Consultancy Ltd livingroofs.org Above St. James' Tube station the roof was specifically designed for rare invertebrates.





Green roof at Mountain Equipment Coop, Toronto, Canada. Image Sookie wikimedia.org





Vancouver Public Library. Pic by Recollective www.flickr.com





Green roof, ZED factory display, Shanghai Expo livingroofs.org





busroots.org



Benefits:

1. Decreases Storm Water Runoff

Green roofs are capable of retaining 60 to 100% of water during a rain event. When water falls on a typical roof, it’s often funneled off into storm water drains, collecting pollution along the way and polluting our waterways or increasing the amount of sewage to be treated. Green roofs 'harvest' rain water and put it to beneficial use.

2. Urban Heat Island Effect is Reduced

Vegetation reflects solar radiation that would otherwise be absorbed by roof surfaces. If an urban area has numerous green roofs (or even as few as 5%), heat island effect is markedly lowered.

3. Improving Thermal Performance

Heat flow through the roofing system is reduced by 70-90% in the summer and 10-30% in the winter.

4. Protection of the Roof Membranes

Increased longevity of roofing membranes. The plants and growing medium are absorbing the solar rays, protecting the roofing materials from UV breakdown.The green roof also shields the membrane from extreme temperature variations, another cause of hastened degradation. According to Penn State research, a green roof will lengthen roof life by two to three times.*

5. Sound Insulation

Sound proofing. An extensive green roof can reduce sound from outside by 40 decibels, while an intensive roof can reduce sound by 46-50 decibels (Peck et al. 1999).

5. Aesthetic Appeal, Public Relations and Recreational Green Space

Increased aesthetic appeal and functionality. Nature relaxes; the sight, sounds, smells, colors, and movement of plants promote psychological well-being.

6. Sustaining Local Biodiversity

When planted with native vegetation - a habitat for indigenous species.

3. Improving Air Quality and Reducing Airborne Particulates

Carbon is sequestered. Through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored as carbon in biomass. As well, airborne particulates and pollution is taken up and rendered harmless by plant material.



Resources:

EPA Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies: Green Roofs www.epa.gov

GreenSave Calculator. Compare the cost of green roofing with conventional roofing systems. www.greenroofs.org


 
How To:

Advice for Beginning Rooftop Growers  auachicago.org



See Green Roofed Houses, Sheds and Arbors...
inspirationgreen.com/green-roofs-in-the-country

Green Roofs – a Useful Solution to Embellish Our Home and Live Better

2

• by Laura
• in Gardens
• — 1 Jun, 2013

A green roof, or living roof is a roof partially or completely covered with vegetation. This type of roof can be as simple as the vegetation membrane with a waterproofing one, or it may also include drainage layers, root barriers and irrigation systems.

The main and most notable advantage of having such a green roof is the interesting view of the house, and, why not, an additional relaxing area (in the case of flat roofs).
Here are some examples of how you can arrange your green roof:

Another important benefits of green roofs are:

• Storm water management (by storing it in the substrate and being used later by plants and in the end returned in the atmosphere by evaporation);
• Moderation of the urban heat island effect (through the cooling effect of water evaporation; it can also reduce the production of smog and greenhouse gas emissions);
• Improving of air quality (the plants on the green roofs can absorb and filter noxious gasses and airborne pollutants, and also control the overall production of CO2);
• Providing of new spaces for amenities and local agriculture (community gardens, commercial and recreational space);
• Creation of new local jobs and education opportunities;
• Energy efficiency (by thermally isolating the house and thus reducing the amount of energy needed to moderate the temperature inside);
• Increasing the roof’s lifespan;
• Reducing fire speed, electromagnetic radiation and noise level;
• Increasing biodiversity (by sustaining a wide variety of plants, invertebrates and bird species);
• Health and well-being improvement (through reducing pollution and improving water quality; they can also increase social cohesion, public safety and sense of community).

Like everything technology creates, green roofs also bear a set of disadvantages:
As the main disadvantage, we can mention the high initial cost of building such a roof. The structure itself, waterproofing systems and root barriers can be a little expensive.
Some other disadvantages may be:

• additional structural support needed;
• high maintenance cost depending of the type of roof used;
• not every building can bear any type of green roof;
• various demands on waterproofing systems and root barriers.

But how are these green roofs built?
 Depending on the roof placement, plants, and area, there are more simple or complex types of structures, with more or less needed layers, which can be seen as follows:

Because of their complexity, green roofs can be categorized as intensive (80-150 lb of vegetation/sq ft), semi-intensive and extensive (10-25 lb/sq ft).As can be seen from these dimensions, intensive roofs can be seen as roof gardens, that require deep soil for the growth of big plants, and are pretty labor intensive. This is because they are more park-like and thus are being used as leisure areas with easy access.
On the contrary, extensive roofs are built over a thin layer of substrate; they are virtually self-sustaining and do not require much maintenance. Usually, this is the main reason they are being accessed for.
So, why not build a living roof for your home, as it brings so many benefits not only to you personally, but to the whole community?

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