Green Roofing for Green Building

The idea of planting grass or other vegetation on the roof of a building or house may seem like a holdover from the '60s counterculture movement, but proponents say such roofing systems are the solution to a wealth of environmental problems plaguing cities and jurisdictions across the country.

Green roofing for Green Building
The temperature atop Chicago's City Hall building on an average summer day is usually 14 degrees to 44 degrees cooler than the county office building across the street. The reason: the county building has a typical black-tar roof, while City Hall has a green roof planted with grass, plants, and flowers.
The idea of planting grass or other vegetation on the roof of a building or house may seem like a holdover from the '60s counterculture movement, but proponents say such roofing systems are the solution to a wealth of environmental problems plaguing cities and jurisdictions across the country.
“Green roofs reduce resource consumption and are restorative in nature,” says Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a Toronto-based nonprofit industry association and research network. “They clean the water, clean the air, and contribute to the health of a city.”
grow your own way
According to GRHC, a green (or sod) roof is actually a multilayer system consisting of waterproofing and root-repellent membranes, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium (soil), and vegetation. Green roofs may be installed as modular systems—with all of the aforementioned elements already prepared in movable, interlocking grids—or as individual components that are installed separately.
The intensive garden roof on the North Beach Place mixed-use project in San Francisco creates 1.9 acres of outdoor space for residents to enjoy.
Click here to read full article from EcoHome Magazine



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