Eco-Friendly Green Roofs - Green Roofs Are The Future?

It is difficult to say how long exactly the green roofs in are: they fluctuate between eco fantasy and eco solution, but yet there have always been seemingly surprising and eco-friendly green roofs in Europe and North America. I remember but a very special design and special technology, built on a fantastic marvel in 2008, up on San Francisco California Academy of Sciences. Since a while and the green roof design has evolved.

Financial benefits have environmentally friendly roofs - green roofs

Environmentally Green Roof

Green roofs have proven as naturally fitting and very attached to many public buildings, thanks to its large ecological and financial benefits such as energy efficiency and storm - water safety, noise protection. In this order we must not forget the birds and other small, harmless creatures, who live on the green roofs. Therefore, there is now laid down rules for the projects of "extensive" green roofs: the vegetation to grow layer of lighter ground Earth in a special mounting system in a flat (7.5 cm) up to 15 cm, with a waterproof membrane. Such projects are good for the environment, they contribute a lot to the beauty in our surroundings and arouse more interest in horticulture. Its realization has more design freedom even with reduced financial resources and for this reason there are a growing number of green roofs surprises, innovative ideas and a wonderful sense of experimentation and fun!

Do you see just a few examples of eco-friendly green roof?

Eco Friendly Green Roof

Here they extra are selected for you: in Phoenix, for example, landscape architect Steve Martino has created a playful concept. Prickly pear on 7.5 cm thick soil of local granite, at a low, flat, steel roof. And in the forests of Washington Olympic Peninsula, architect Roy Hellwig of Sequim has also worked with local materials. This is actually a departure from typical terrestrial plants. He covered his apartment with mosses, lichens, ferns. These are largely epiphytes (air plants) that require the ground earths. So the light roof requires minimum maintenance and looks as if it was connected with the Earth, like in the movies "Hobbits Homes" and "The Lord of the rings". For those who want to have a similar look, Hellwig has designed a mat that is easy to install, connected with the epiphytic ecosystem that adheres to almost any type of roof or wall. Currently he is busy at work on a similar system for Subtropical climates.

Eco-friendly green roof for the own House

New York Green Roof Building

Many designers at the roofs using an another possible method of work. You take different plant species and mix the range of plants on the roofs. One such example, Kevin Falkerson and Kerrie Lee Cole is designed in Sonoma County, California. This roof design displays a surprising variety of plants. On the 300-square-metre roof of the House, they used nine types of Sedum plants, butterflies anlocken-perennial carnations (Dianthus), and Flammenblumen (Phlox) - all visible from the upper floors of the House.

The roof garden of the architect Michael Van Valkenburgh can serve as a model for green roof design, top on his Washington apartment. The living area includes 270 square metres and is located on two levels. At the levels they used low plants (especially Sedum spp.); the other level contains a mixture of Sedum species with higher, drought-resistant grasses and perennials that need a deeper ground base. After six years, measurable results are already obvious: 77 per cent of the amount of precipitation that fell during the first period of data collection, kept the roofs and the temperatures were surprisingly average 14 degrees lower than in conventional, black roofs on the neighboring buildings.

Green roofs have complex and expensive installation

Eco Friendly Green Roof Ideas

If you want to decide for a green roof on your home, then you should contact necessarily to a landscape architect or designer. You need someone who is specialized in the field, someone who is well acquainted with the construction requirements, mounting systems, drainage rules, location, species and maintenance.

The cost of a green roof are about two to four times higher than those for the construction of a conventional roof. Before you start a project, you need to calculate your finances still good.

Select plants for green roofs

Green Roof Modern Architecture

The selection of plants for green roof naturally depends on the local conditions. Usually roof installations must be weather resistant, it can be hot, dry and very windy there. The seeds could be blown away by the wind and are still attacked by birds. Irrigation needs are stronger in southern regions. Ed Snodgrass - an outstanding American Garden designers gained already experience with residential roofs, he has over 100 homes already "green design". He chooses mainly low-growing Sedum species, because they are hardy and well suited to a green roof. He says: "Sedums lose only a quarter of their amount of water compared to other plants." He recommends other Hardy Succulents such as Dachwurz (Sempervivum), Talinum, fringe Houseleek (Jovibarba) and Delosperma. Colorful accents or varied texture and height you can try it with perennials like carnations (Dianthus), Flammenblume (Phlox), Bellflower, silvery Cinquefoil (Potentilla), yarrow (Achillea) and violet (viola), or with small tubers such as Bisamhyazinthe (Muscari) and Krokus. Vegetables can obviously not thrive on the roof, because it too much water and rich, deep soil needed.

You want to install a green roof? Start small

Small Eco Friendly Green Roof

Do you want to explore the possibilities of green roofs? Ed Snodgrass suggests that you start with a Kennel or a Bird House. He says "So you will make a good first step, the limits and opportunities of growing plants in a such a shallow root room meet". And then there is no turning back, the way only goes up, on the roof!

Eco-friendly green roof - roof terrace with garden