Green Roof Essay

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A green roof or a living roof is a vegetated covering for a roof with growing medium and plants that take place of ballast, asphalt, shingles or tiles. This is new technology that is directed by the demand for environmentally sound solutions in the building industry. A green roof is a man-made version of a natural soil profile. When rain falls, some are absorbed by the plants some are contained in the substrate and the rest percolates through the filter membrane into the drainage layer. The green roof structure comprises of eight layers, these are: sturdy roof structure, reliable water-proofing membrane, ponding membrane, tough protection fabric, water storing drainage layer, non-clogging separation fabric, engineered soil and appropriate plants. …show more content…

Ideal green roof plants must be drought resistance and have shallow roots. Two plants that bear these qualities are sedum and native grasses. Also, the growing media should have a high field capacity or the ability to hold water. Vermiculite, sand, perlite and organic material are the main materials because of their light weight and highly water absorbent. Aesthetics are one of the benefits of this roof, apart from this green roofs have other advantages. During warm months living roofs help reduce thermal loading which in turn reduce energy costs. They also improve air quality as green roofs absorb pollutants. These roof also contribute to biodiversity by providing habitat for birds and insects. Green roofs reduce urban heat islands by cooling roof surfaces. Storm water is managed by reducing impermeable surface area and 65-100% of rain water is retained. Also, these type of roof increase the durability of a roof membranes by preventing extreme fluctuations in temperature and UV rays from hitting the membrane and lastly green roofs broaden green space in urban

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