Green Roof - your home.

Introducing a "green roof" to the design of your new home (or alteration) is comparable to putting back the original vegetation and ecosystem that your home occupies.
























images courtesy of www.trendir.com

By definition, a "green roof" is a roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil. Container gardens (plants are in pots) are not generally considered to be true green roofs, but do serve similar purposes. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, there are numerous advantages to having a green roof, the biggest of which (in our opinion) is the preservation of habitat and biodiversity. This is particularly true, if indigenous planting is used that resembles the original vegetation of the area, which in turn, will encourage the indigenous insect and bird life to continue in the area.

However, over and above the sound ecological reasons for having a green roof, there are a number of benefits to the property owner as well:

• Temperature & insulation - not only does a green roof assist in controlling the heat gains and losses of its specific building by reducing heating and cooling loads, but will also contribute to mitigating the 'Urban Heat Island Effect' (the difference in temperature between a city and the surrounding countryside), in the summer.
• Sound insulation - Sound waves that are produced by machinery, traffic or air-planes can be absorbed, reflected or deflected.
• Rain water - rather than large volumes of water running into the municipal stormwater drains (if not captured on site in storage tanks), a green roof will reduce the amount of runoff and delay the time at which runoff occurs. This results in decreased loads on sewer systems at peak flow periods. In addition, a green roof will retain water by storing it in the substrate and then will be used by the plants and finally returned to the atmosphere through transpiration and evaporation.
• Improved air quality & carbon dioxide/oxygen exchange - a green roof will filter the air moving across it of airborne particulates and through the process of photosynthesis convert carbon dioxide, water and sunlight/energy into oxygen and glucose.

The more in-direct / economic benefits include:

• Protection of the roof resulting in a longer lifespan and decreased maintenance and replacement costs (it is estimated that green roofs will last up to twice as long as conventional roofs).
• Savings on energy heating and cooling costs.

There are however, a few disadvantages to consider. With regards to the design and construction of a green roof, existing buildings may not always be able to be retrofitted with a green roof because of the weight of the soil and vegetation. In addition, a green roof places high demands on the waterproofing system because not only is water retained on the roof (in the soil etc.), but there is the possibility of roots penetrating the waterproof membrane. Installing suitable waterproofing systems and root barriers is essential and can increase the cost.

Finally, the construction / landscaping cost of a green roof can vary depending on the type of roof, structure of the building etc., and what plants are grown on the roof. And although a conventional roof may only require maintenance through painting/waterproofing every few years, a green roof, like any garden, requires a little more TLC.













image courtesy of wikipedia.org


















images courtesy of www.dornob.com