Green roof construction, green roof design, green roof detail
Green roof basically means a type of roof system which is friendly to the Environment and the surrounding Ecosystem. It may be in form of green vegetation or plants covering the roof .Or it may be solar panels on the roof used as green and clean technology. Green roofs are commonly referred to as Eco-roofs also.It was a trend started by Germany but is spread now in many parts of the World. Mainly to counter the efects of greenhouse warming. Greenhouse warming refers to increase of average temperature by trapping heat.
Greenhouses With Green Roofs?
Traditional definition of greenhouse tells that roofs are covered with green plants. It is not just simply covered with plants or vegetation, it requires proper planning and guidance too. A green roof is made up of compost soil on which plants are cultivated or vegetation is grown. The soil is light weight so that excess strain is not exerted on the roof. Green roofs can also mean roofs covered by solar panels to provide clean and green emery free from pollution.
Benefits of Green Roofs
Green roofs provide benefit not only to houses on which they are but also help the environment and ecosystem.It helps insulate the house thus maintain a steady temperature in the house. Reducing the temperature swing in the vicinity saves a lot of power wasted for cooling in summer and heating in winter. Besides being pleasing to the eyes it also provides better protection compared to the conventional roofs, not to mention the ease of cleaning.It also has very good noise insulation capability and can stop noises of up to 60 decibels from entering the house. Conventional roofs have effect of molds and decay , which is not the case in green roofs. Also life span of green roofs is dramatically more compared to normal roofs , more than two or three times the normal life span.
Technology or Art?
People wonder this as a new technology , but it is age old technology which has been perfected from generation to generation and finally today has become part of a fine art. Green roofs are used not only for protective purposes many people use it for its artistic and aesthetic value too. This technology is much widespread too now a days, almost 10 to 20 percentage German houses are green roofs. This trend really helps reduce the losses due to deforestation.
In areas of heavy rainfall these are very suitable as they slow down the rate of water flow . They also reduce the water clogging problems by retaining water in the soil and most of it is evaporated back to the atmosphere.They greatly support the flora and fauna of surrounding ecosystems.They also filter out the heavy metallic elements and pollutants from the rain water. Well as a hobby one can also grow different types of fruits and vegetables, one may also have plantations of his/her liking given gardening as a hobby. Green roofs properly maintained provide a natural habitat for the birds , butterflies, etc.
Thus green roof helps us reduce pollution , decrease Co2 in the atmosphere , provide better shelter and best of all is very economical on the pocket. It can be very economic and effective to have a green roof. Green roofs have many many advantages if they are properly planned , one disadvantage is that due to improper planning and not enough information people can put much strain on the roofs making it prone to accidents.