If you have not keyed into the rapidly growing ‘green’ roofing, you at least owe yourself the knowledge of how it works and its possible effect on you, your commercial property and the environment at large. As the realities of a world experiencing the effects of global warming dawns on us, it is becoming very difficult to ignore the areas, no matter how small where energy is being consumed inefficiently. Thus, the beauty of ‘green’ commercial roofing types becomes more obvious.
A green roof is one where a media and vegetation is planted above a roofing system. The two types of green roofs are the intensive and extensive types and both offer users advantages in terms of costs savings and environmental protection.
i. Intensive Green Roofs: When a green roof is intensive, it possesses the ability to support diverse kinds of plants, small trees and various vegetation in addition to having a thicker media which is typically at least four to six inches thick.
ii. Extensive Green Roofs: The grasses and sedums growing in this type of green roof are usually drought resistant and the system is typically fragile. The media here is also quite thinner, having a maximum of between four to six inches of substrate.
Green Roof Systems: the following are components of a green roof system:
- Root Barrier: This is in place to act as a shield for the roofing system already in place to ensure that the roots from the vegetation do not damage the roof.
- Protection Layer: This protects the root barrier from damage during installation and is a puncture resistant membrane.
- Drainage Layer: Allows excess water from the green roof run off.
- Filter Layer: Prevents clogging of the drainage layer
- Growth Media: This is one of the most important components of the green roof. It is the substrate that ensures and sustains growth in the green roof.
- Plant Level: Accommodates different kinds of vegetation.
Benefits to the environment: When a building is constructed, vegetation is usually destroyed to make way for it. Green roofs are meant to replace that vegetation. Green roofs help in absorbing the storm water run-offs which occur during rains. This helps in curtailing flooding, erosion and overwhelming of the drainage and sewer systems. Heat reduction and minimization of the heat island effect is another important benefit of green roofs.
Maintenance Issues: What is needed to maintain a green roof is usually a function of the media thickness as well as the plant selection. The maintenance tends to be quite low when the vegetation is made up grasses and sedums as it contained in extensive green roofs. When the vegetation is thick, it usually requires constant watering or the installation of an irrigation system. The green roof however has financial implications for the traditional roofing system as it causes a reduction in the maintenance costs due to the protection it provides.
Need a green roof? Thinking of joining the green revolution? Gillespie Roofing has wide experience and expertise in this field and have helped clients to become more friendly to the environment while saving energy costs. Gillespie roofing has been serving Tri-cities, Waitsburg, pasco, richland, kennewick, pendleton and surroudning areas for more than 40-years!
A Name You Trust!
