A significant amount of research needs to be conducted on the public and private benefits of green roof infrastructure in different climate zones, different built environments and at different scales to forge a new industry by developing supportive public policies. Green roofs as a current trend have intrigued many homeowners and commercial properties across the country. Living roofs are considered a sustainable option that is good for the environment and is considered to be incredibly beneficial to homeowners for several reasons. Green roofs are basically of two types: intensive and extensive, which are differentiated by the amount of flora used.
Green roofs, also known as “vegetation roofs” or “living roofs”, are ballasted roofs that consist of a waterproofing membrane, a growing medium (soil) and vegetation (plants) that cover a traditional roof. A cold roof (often a white roof) uses a highly reflective construction material to reflect, rather than absorb, sunlight that hits its surface. By implementing a green roof, you can ensure that you improve energy efficiency and also limit the use of air conditioning. The green roofs of educational facilities can provide an easily accessible site for teaching students and visitors biology, green roof technology, and the benefits of green roofs. Thanks to this cooler roof, the efficiency of the solar panels is higher and, therefore, total energy costs are reduced.
Green roofs can facilitate a significant improvement in a building's LEED rating, since they provide up to 15 credits to the system, depending on the design and level of integration with other building systems. Unlike planting a green roof with individual plug plants, placing a green roof with plant blankets is quick and easy to do.
Semi-intensive green roofs are somewhere in between the two previous types and often look like a kind of roof garden
. The purpose of a green roof is to provide a kind of supportive ecosystem that includes the natural filtration of air and water, the support of plant life through rain, and the management of rainwater that would otherwise require drainage, septic or treatment systems.Green roofs not only hold rainwater, but they also moderate water temperatures and act as natural filters for runoff water. A living roof or a green roof is nothing more than a roof where there is a plantation or a roof where a garden has been cultivated. You should treat your green roof like a garden, and as such, you will need to water, feed and weed it. In addition to having personal benefits for homeowners, green roofs also offer benefits for the community, reducing the overall heat that buildings conduct.
