All You Need to Know About Green Roof Construction
A green roof is an addition to an existing roofing system which includes essential features, a root repellent system, filter cloth, drainage system, high or medium quality waterproofing, and a lightweight growing medium and plants to keep the structure safe and eco-friendly.
Green roof innovation includes the creation of green space on the top of the building structure. It could be above, at, or below the grade, but it exists separately or above the ground in all scenarios; it provides a wide range of private and public benefits and has been successfully adopted in many countries worldwide. And some of them also incorporate energy-efficient roof hatches to have easy and safe access to their green roof.
THE TYPES OF GREEN ROOFING
There are two primary types of green roofing systems, the Extensive and Intensive, and the amount of vegetation utilized differentiates it. While an intensive green roofing system can hold or support 150 pounds of vegetation per square foot, extensive roofs can hold up to 25 pounds per square foot.
The amount of required work to maintain them is another thing that differentiates these styles from one another. As the name suggests, intensive green roof styles need more work to manage, as it includes maintaining an actual garden and keeping the different types of plants separately. On the other hand, extensive green roof styles, without restrictions, are left to grow naturally and take care of themselves the same as they would in the wild and thus only require weeding and fertilization yearly.
For private property owners, the intensive green roof format allows them to carefully choose flowers and plants and sculpt them to achieve the aesthetic look they desire. The design of the extensive green roof only requires yearly entry or maintenance and becomes overgrown naturally and makes it harder to navigate, which means individuals cannot walk through its space and enjoy the flora.
Both of these green roof formats utilize a layering system that establishes a planter's base through various mats, soils, and other different materials to keep the nutrients while expelling out any by-product waste. By these layers, the profile of the ground soil is mimicked and creates a drainage system process that allows liquid filtration safely at the same time nourishing the plants.
Recent advancements and studies have come up in a new format of green roofing called Comprehensive Roofing. The design of this format is to hold a different variety of plants found usually in intensive roofing; at the same time, this format allows to support a tremendous amount of vegetation like extensive roofing.
BENEFITS OF GREEN ROOFS
There are various reasons why most people want to pursue a green roofing system, both for the home and the community.
Community Benefits Include:
- Creates an Aesthetic Look: It provides an aesthetic look to urban communities. Urban greening promotes an effective and easy strategy in beautifying the newly-built environment and increases investment opportunities.
- Improves Heat Production: A green roof improves the overall heat produced by the building structures in urban settings, covering different surfaces that will generate more warmth.
- Prevents Pollution: The plants in the green roof helps to prevent dust and smog distribution and catch pollutants found in the air.
- Reduces Stormwater: It minimizes the need to manage stormwater that accumulates and the stress put on local sewer systems.
- Increases Revenue: The amount of money and work required when constructing a green roof can create or increase revenue and jobs in local businesses.
Personal Benefits Of Green Roof To A Homeowner Include:
- Noise Barrier: Green roofs serve as natural barriers and minimize the amount of outside noise that will come into the house.
- Fire-Retardant: Its fire retardant ability provides more protection from fire hazards in the home.
- Preserves Roofing: Since plants cover the roof, the possibility of different elements exposure is limited and enables the roof membrane to last longer than unprotected roofing.
- Reduces Energy Use: Because of the excellent insulation provided by the green roof, it can significantly reduce the energy needed to utilize the temperature in the structure or home. It absorbs heat during winter and shields hot temperatures during summer.
- Increases Property Value: It can improve the property value because of its efficiency enhancement to some household devices or appliances like extending the lifespan of other household devices like HVAC systems and become aesthetically pleasing.
Green roofing systems are well known nowadays because of their aesthetic design and benefits to property owners, the community, and our environment. And this type of roofing is very rigid. Consider installing a green roof on your next commercial build!
