Green roofs are all the rage, and for good reason—they trap and filter storm water, provide habitat for birds, insects and small animals and bring color to urban neighborhoods. Covered with vibrant grasses and plants, green roofs provide insulation in winter and reduce heat during warm summer days. Chicago has ambitious goals to cover over 2.5 million square feet with greenery on over 200 rooftops; in Germany, they account for an estimated 10 percent of all flat roofs.
Installation varies from laying out simple pre-planted modules to setting up more elaborate multi-layered systems. While it can be twice as expensive as a conventional roof, a green roof is cheap to maintain. Homeowners may even be eligible for utility rebates and state- or city-government incentives. What’s more, they may double your roof’s lifespan by shielding it from sunlight, wind and extreme temperatures. A quick note: Your roof will need to be able to support at least 30 pounds per square foot, depending on the system used, and have a slope of no less than one percent and no greater than seven percent.
The Scandinavians are the true green roof innovators:
Green roofs on a McDonald’s & petrol station – Scandinavian humor?
A few of many green roof resources:
http://www.greenroofs.com/
http://verdantconcepts.com/blog/
http://www.artic.edu/webspaces/greeninitiatives/greenroofs/main.htm
And of course, our very own architecture.mnp.
I stumbled onto this site while doing research for an
ecology class I’m taking and was really thrilled to see how many communities are moving in this direction.