Green Roof Defined

Green roofs consist of vegetation and growing media placed in layers installed over an existing roof structure.

Green roof defined.

Green roofs are also known as vegetative or eco roofs. Green roofs can help reduce energy costsfor a building by acting as another layer of insulation between the inside and outside of the roof. Intensive green roofs are widely used on commercial buildings where owners want to have large green areas that incorporate all sizes and types of plants. Green roofs can provide a wide range of public and private benefits and have been successfully installed in countries around the world.

These are not typical point loaded roof gardens as their live load is evenly distributed partially or fully over the roof surface. They fall into three main categories extensive intensive and semi intensive. There are two basic types of green roofs. A green roof is a green space that is created by adding various layers of plants and a growing medium to the top portion of a traditional roofing system.

A roof covered with vegetation designed for its aesthetic value and to optimize energy conservation. Container gardens on roofs where plants are maintained in pots are not generally considered to be true green roofs although. Green roof development involves the creation of contained green space on top of a human made structure. A green roof is a supplemental roofing system that covers a conventional roof with a layer of vegetation.

This is most noticeable in intensive green roofs since there is a thicker and more consistent layer of soil which provides a higher insulating value. These roofs will have grasses ground covers flowers shrubs and even trees. Note that it is not like a traditional roof garden in which planting is done in free standing containers as well as planters that are placed on an easy to access roof terrace. A green roof is a layer of vegetation planted over a waterproofing system that is installed on top of a flat or slightly sloped roof.