Green Building
What is GREEN ROOFING?
An aerial view of most urban areas shows swathes of asphalt, black tar, and gravel-ballasted rooftops. Heat radiates off of the dark roofs, and water rushes over the hard, hopefully, impermeable surfaces. Yet, there is a new trend that breaks up the monotony of common roofs: green rooftops. Long popular in Europe, green rooftops have begun to appeal to homeowners, businesses, and even cities as an attractive way to promote environmentalism while solving the problems of conventional roofs.
Green roofs supplement traditional vegetation without disrupting urban infrastructure — they take a neglected space and make it useful. Green roofs last longer than conventional roofs, reduce energy costs with natural insulation, create peaceful retreats for people and animals, and absorb stormwater, potentially lessening the need for complex and expensive drainage systems. On a wider scale, green roofs improve air quality and help reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, a condition in which city and suburban developments absorb and trap heat.
Anyone who has walked across a scalding parking lot on a hot, summer day has felt one effect of an Urban Heat Island. The layers of a green roof must, like any roof, accommodate drainage and protect the building from the elements with a waterproof membrane. But they also must create a growing area and potentially provide support, irrigation, and root protection barriers while staying as light as possible. Nova has been a leader with using materials that work and make sense.
We have found a GREEN ROOFING system that’s been proven to be efficient. It’s called theLIVE ROOF SYSTEM. We are certified and experienced in installing this type of GREEN ROOFING system. It was designed by a roofer, so it’s roofer friendly. Who better at logistics and installing and maintaining anything on a roof than a roofer?
NOVA RESTORATIONS is the company more people are calling for their GREEN ROOF systems. General Benefits of Green Roofs Even today the opportunities of Green Roofs are still underestimated. The “natural look” is only one obvious credit within the broad range of arguments for Green Roofs. Further benefits of Green Roofs include the protection of waterproofing, water retention, thermal insulation, improvement of the climatic environment as well as new natural habitats for flora and fauna.
No other architectural style provides such a wide range of positive effects for buildings, inhabitants, and the environment. Thus, Green Roofs meet one of the essential conditions of sustainable development, the reconciliation between economy and ecology. It is very difficult to find positive arguments for bare or graveled roofs. Lower building costs for “Non-Green Roofs” in comparison to a Green Roof, are weak arguments considering it is only a short term calculation. Long term costs of maintenance and repairs of ‘naked roofs’ are much higher than that of Green Roofs. It has to be considered that roofs belong to the most strained parts of a building; if no precautions are taken and product qualities lack, problems arise quickly.
Private Benefits
Increased Roof Life The life expectancy of a “naked” flat roof is only 15 to 25 years, even with professional installation. This is due to the physical, chemical and biological stress on the roof skin/ waterproofing over the years. Temperature differences of more than 100 °C during the year and 60 °C over 24 hours are not unusual. UV-radiation and high Ozone ratios accelerate the ageing process of the waterproofing; which results in, material fatigue, shrinking, crack formation, and leakage.
Green Roofs provide protection for the waterproofing.
The vegetation layer buffers the temperature stress during summer and winter, and temperature differences of, 35 °C during the year and 15 °C over 24 hours are not usually exceeded. In addition, the Green Roof creates a protection layer for the waterproofing in case of mechanical damage like hail, wind, vandalism, and fireworks. Reduced Noise Levels Green Roofs reduce sound reflection by up to 3 dB and improve sound insulation by up to 8 dB. This is important for people who live near airports, noisy discotheques, or industrial parks. Additionally, electromagnetic waves from transmitting stations can be effectively shielded by the vegetation layer.
Public Benefits
Natural Habitat for Animals and Plants The sealing of the landscape by human building activities has several negative effects on the ecosystem and the human habitat. This applies in particular for urban areas, where a large share of the total land area is sealed. Vegetated Roofs can compensate for lost green areas. As “step-stone habitats”, they create lively and vigorous places and connect isolated refuges for flora and fauna within sterile city centres. Low maintenance extensive Green Roofs especially promote biodiversity, as wild bees, butterflies, and beetles find food and shelter there. Even rare and protected species can be found on Green Roofs. The natural cycle of plant growth, self-seeding and stress-selection lends to ecological systems with unique character. Stormwater Retention Green Roofs are very important instruments in preventing local flooding.
Depending on the Green Roof system and the depth of the growing medium, the immediate water run-off can be reduced by 50-90%. Most of this water returns directly into the natural water cycle by transpiration/evaporation of the Green Roof. The excess rainwater is filtered and drained off with a temporal delay. This leads to reduced stress on the sewer system during the year and at peak flow periods. As a result less or smaller dimensioned sewerage systems can be installed. In combination with other forms of modern rain water management (for example, storage tanks or retaining trench-soaking hole-systems) the rainwater can be entirely infiltrated on the landowners ground.
The benefits of Green Roofs for stormwater management can lead to incentive programs for Green Roofs in various cities, such as, reduced stormwater taxes. Heat Island Effect Global warming, increasing sealed surfaces and excess heat from residential buildings, industry and traffic are leading to continually rising temperatures within urban agglomerations. The temperature difference between a city and the surrounding countryside is referred to as the urban heat island effect. In summer this effect can reach nearly 10 °C. The urban heat island effect drastically reduces the quality of life and impairs health of the city’s inhabitants. Natural “air conditioners” such as green areas and parks can absorb up to 80% of the energy input; however, in densely populated districts green areas are rare. Landscaped roof surfaces are an alternative, as they decrease the “urban heat island effect” through the process of transpiration and humidify dry air. This process lends to a better climate for the occupants of adjacent apartments and buildings.
Reduction of Dust and Smog Levels Inner city air pollution can cause serious adverse health effects, which has been proven by numerous studies over the last years. In particular, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, volatile organic compounds, and diesel exhaust gases are creating dangerous combinations of toxic substances for urban inhabitants. Plants are able to enhance the quality of the air. One square metre of Green Roof can filter approximately 0.2 kg aerosol dust and smog particles per year. In addition, nitrates and other harmful materials in the air and from rainfall are deposited in the growing medium. Cities and Landscapes Green Roofs are visually enhancing the quality of life in the cities. Already a few blooming “islands” are able to interrupt the monotony of the grey, dismal city centres and better people´s mental and physical health. Not only in cities, but also in rural areas, Green Roofs allow industry buildings to blend harmoniously with the scenery.