From Tremco Green Roofs, a Silver level Sponsor of the Cincinnati Regional USGBC Chapter. A page on our site, with sponsor content, is a benefit of Silver and above sponsorship. Content is subject to approval and editing.
Roofs are typically considered "out of sight, out of mind". Yet recently, building owners have recognized the roof as a valuable patch of real estate that can be used not only to improve their building's appeal, but improve the ecology through the use of a "green" roof. Green roofs or roof top gardens are not new; in fact they can be traced back hundreds, if not thousands of years to the useof sod and thatch. However the practice of converting a proposed or existing traditional roof into a green roof has garnered renewed interest due to its environmental benefits.
Natural Improvement Use of a vegetated roofing system, a waterproofing protective covering featuring a top layer of plants embedded in a growing medium, addresses several growing environmental problems; the two most important are the system’s ability to manage storm-water run off as well as reduce the Urban Heat Island effect. By absorbing and retaining a large percent of the rainwater (up to 70% in some instances), green roof scan slow down and reduce the amount of water moving to our already over-burdened and aging sewage systems. Green roofs also alleviate the heat island effect by lowering overall temperatures that exposed black roofs and asphalt create. Additionally, green roofs can moderate building temperatures and purify outside air while providing a habitat for plants, insects and birds.
A green roof membrane assembly converts an otherwise traditional roof system to an environmentally beneficial and aesthetically pleasing assembly that incorporates a waterproofing layer along with root barrier and drainage layers and a growing medium to accommodate a wide variety of plant options suitable to the local climate.
There are two basic types of garden roofs assemblies: extensive and intensive. The two types are distinguished by the depth of their growing medium and the species of plants
Extensive Extensive green roof systems have very shallow beds (2-6";5-15cm) that support only hardy, low growing vegetation. They are lightweight, ranging from 15 to 35 lbs/ft (70 to 170 kg/m2) and require little tono maintenance or irrigation; thus they are the most practical and economical.
Intensive The intensive systems can grow a wider variety of plants and even small trees due to their deeper beds, and are more aesthetic or garden-like. With this type of landscape, regular maintenance including watering, fertilizing, mowing and irrigation are required, adding operational costs.Additionally the extra soil and taller vegetation increases the systems weight to a range of 60-200lbs/sq ft (290- 970 kg/m2) so additional structural support may be required.
Waterproofing Membrane Tremco offers a number of durable, trouble-free options for the waterproofing membrane, including hot applied membranes, cold process systems and elastomeric single ply membranes.Your local Tremco representative is skilled in selecting the appropriate combination to effectively meet your needs.
Benefits Storm water runoff is reduced and retained within the green system, possibly reducing property taxesand storm water fees.
Minimizes urban heat island effect by absorbing solar energy and reducing the effects of heat radiatedfrom conventional sources.
Improve air quality through the reduction of greenhouse gases and other airborne particulates.
Reduction in heating and cooling requirements due to insulative properties of plants and soil.
Outdoors noise levels are decreased within the facility.
Increased bio diversity at the roof level of plants and animals.
Increased life cycle of roof waterproofing system because of better protection from weathering effects.
Visual appeal increases property value through social, recreational and therapeutic uses.
To learn more about Tremco Green Roof Solutions, contact a Tremco representative by using our Find A Rep page.
