The Living Roof

We are thankful to have a roof over our heads here at ecoProach. However, older roofs are prone to leaking, cracks, and need replacing or sometimes an all-out makeover. What would you change about your roof?

Would you consider installing a living roof?

First, a “living roof” is defined by NARI’s textbook Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time defines them as “protected-membrane roofs with soil and plantings (as well as insulation) installed above the membrane.” Essentially, this means a garden on top of your home. Most living roofs are built on flat or only slightly inclined surfaces to avoid the possibility of landslides and confrontations with the homeowners association.

Aside from being a fantastic picnic spot (providing you’re not afraid of heights), green roofs have a variety of meaningful benefits that attract builders, homeowners, and remodelers the world over. Consider the eco-friendly benefits of the following various styles.

According to Mark Wickstead of CNN, “…green roofs are not just aesthetic. They have important environmental benefits: they absorb storm water, reduce noise pollution, absorb heat (thus lessening the urban heat-island effect) and add an extra layer of insulation to buildings.”

Now, let’s look at a few examples of how living roofs are making their mark on some major cities.

Exhibit A) California Academy of Sciences

These days the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA reports that their eco-friendly building has over 1,700 plants covering their new living roof. It was built primarily for its ability to improve air quality and insulation, but there are other added perks, too. For example, their living roof is incredibly low maintenance which means no more wasted days spent scorching in the California sun re-shingling or re-roofing. Whew!

Exhibit B) Chicago’s City Hall

Chicago’s City Hall is a metropolitan Eden which plays hosts to a plethora of wildlife, even supporting a honeybee population that regularly provides beekeepers with fresh honey. What a perk! Otherwise, it helps reduce trapped urban heat and pollution from the city environment, also improving air quality.

People don’t always look to their roofs as a possible way to reduce their footprint, but in this case living roofs are a great opportunity to take advantage of nature’s intrinsic benefits. Green roofs provide:

1. Improved, cleaner air quality
2. Reduced stress on drainage systems during rainy seasons and storms
3. Reduction of trapped heat and urban pollution (including the noisy kind)
4. Extra insulation
5. Less need for maintenance
6. Honey (providing your roof is large enough)

Living roofs aren’t just fantasy or an ancient wonder of the world, like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Now, even the most cosmopolitan and urban cities have adopted green roofing. Just google the term along with any major city and see what kind of results show up (try Chicago, New York, and San Francisco). As energy auditors and green builders, we here at ecoProach and Chandler Building & Development encourage you to consider this truly green option and contact us today!