So, what is a ‘Green Roof’ and what makes it a part of a ‘sustainable plan”? Green roofs are a living system or vegetated surface that covers and provides the structural framework and mechanical strength for your home. Green roofs also play an additional role in sustainability by helping to moderate other environmental problems that exist in our urban areas. Green roofing allows homeowners to drastically reduce carbon emissions, manage stormwater, reduce energy use, provide habitat for biodiversity, mitigate the effects of ‘urban heat islands’ and provide both roof longevity and aesthetics.
“Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, perhaps we should control the population to ensure the survival of our environment” – Daivd Attenborough
Green roofs can be ‘extensive, semi-intensive or intensive. Your design will depend on its site, climatic conditions, structural capacity, intended usage of the structure it will cover. Extensive, being shallower, weigh less, and requiring less maintenance. And intensive being thicker, supporting a wider plant assortment and requiring more maintenance.
Benefits of Green Roofs
Green roofs also provide excellent ‘acoustics’, controlling and reducing sound reflection. Green roofs absorb shortwave radiation and cooling the atmosphere. In addition:
The Roof
The Roof is a vital portion of the structures we live and work in. Having a better understanding of its role functions, systems and materials will prove valuable and useful in reaching your sustainability goals. Early man had to search and use all different kinds of roof materials that were usually found in the naturally occurring regions of the world they were located. Not everyone lived in ‘caves’ or were ‘sleeping out in the open’, so they had to shelter themselves from the elements just as we do now and it was the roof, that was at the ‘top’ of the list! Visit https:www.epa.gov/heatislands/using-gree-roofs-reduce-heat-islands and contact us here at 1st POSS for more information.