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Green Roof Technology
Green roof applications are appropriate
for residential, farm, industrial, and office buildings.
Depending on latitude, expected snow and rain load and building
construction, additional reinforcement may or may not be
necessary. Typically, a green roof consists of a thin (2 – 3
inches) layer of soil and a drainage layer, applied directly to
a roofing membrane. For sloped roofs, baffles may be necessary
to retain the soil. Green roof plants are typically short
perennials and succulents, including such varieties of Sedum or
Delosperma. These plants will quickly cover the soil and
prevent erosion, retain rainwater, and provide insulation and
respirative cooling.
Advantages
of Green Roofs
According to
studies conducted at Penn State University, in Europe, and
elsewhere, green roofs can provide significant advantages in
many applications.
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Green
roofs retain rainwater, thereby reducing the requirement for
drainage ponds in business parks and minimizing storm drain
requirements. Depending on the typical weather patterns, up
to 90% of an area’s typical rainfall can be absorbed by a
green roof.
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Green
roofs can reduce the surface temperature of a roofing
membrane significantly, up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit on hot
sunny days. As a result, life expectancy of the membrane
can reasonably be expected to double.
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Green
roofs cool the surrounding air. In fact, by respirating the
retained water, they can cool the roof and surrounding air
significantly. This microclimate can significantly reduce
adverse “urban
heat island” weather patterns.
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A green
roof will provide substantial noise insulation.
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A living
roof provides additional land area, allowing for more
biological diversity.
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Green
roofs can absorb airborne toxins and respirate oxygen into
the air.
Green Roof
Plant Materials
Many varieties
of plants are appropriate for green roofs, depending on weather
conditions, temperature ranges, and many factors relating to the
structure and roof construction itself. Popular species include
Sedum, Delosperma, and varieties of grasses and mosses.
At Green Roof
Plants, we propagate many hundreds of species of plants for
green roof projects in North America. We prefer to work
collaboratively with architects and designers to determine a
plant list that would be optimal for each project.
Research and Development
 Since
a green roof is made up of many components, it’s important to
consider the complete system of all the roofing components as
well as environmental factors. At Green Roof Plants, we are
continuing to work with plant suppliers, roofing material
manufacturers, researchers, architects, and soil & aggregate
providers to ensure we can provide the ideal plant stocks for
each installation. We have test plots for assessing various
plant varieties in multiple installation environments. Click
HERE to go to our R&D Pages |
