Green roof and brown roof construction

There where many contractors selling there ideas on green roofs, I spoke to a representative from http://www.blackdown.co.uk/. I found out some of the possibilities of green roofs and researched the topic further

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The main points:

Assuming you have a supporting structure- does it take the weight of the foliage and the water (irrigation) as soon, any green roof beyond sedum(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum)needs a strong structural strategy.

Sedum supports one species. The brow roofs support more)

In planting a Special foliage can be used to attract a certain types of wildlife.

further research;

Green roofs deliver benefits to urban areas in particular. They insulate and they protect roofing materials; they clean the air and help fight climate change; they create rich micro climates. In urban areas they create necessary green spaces for work and leisure. Scandinavia has had green roofs for centuries, it has now become trendy and attractive to promote biodivercity, particularly in the UK.

Green roofs can be divided into 3 catorgerys

a. Intensive - a 1000mm plus layer of soil in which a variety of plants and trees are grown. As I discovered in the conversation I had with a representative representative of http://www.blackdown.co.uk/ these roofs are the best option to encourage biodivercity they need to be maintained regularly. The loads produced are significant, so an effctive structural strategy needs to be considered.

b. Extensive - 25 - 100mm shallow layer, often referred to as sedum because of the low growing moss or alpine species such used in the planting. The lightweight systems requires little to no maintenance

c. Semi-extensive – 100 - 200 mm- inbetween intensive and extensive, there focus however is on allowing little maintenance and reducing structure constraints an intensive room would put on the building, but maximumizing biodiversity.

Green roofs can effectively be created on any surface. any pitch that exceeds 9.5° will however have specific water retention requirements.

Construction requires a series of layers which have different functions; to retain the necessary water that will sufficently support the plants, but to also allow drainage, the roof needs to be pretected from roots and plant growth.

I got this list from http://www.triton-chemicals.co.uk/prode1.php

1. Vegetation layer - (plants)

2. Lightweight soil 50-100mm in depth

3. Filter mat

4. Drainage layer (such as Isola Platon DE 25 membrane, supplied by Triton. This membrane has a special 23mm deep stud design which combines drainage and water storage to maintain long term roof planting.)

5. Root barrier

6. Waterproof membrane

Other ways of promoting biodiversity in a building;

Green infrastructure, such as habitat walls provide multiple benefits for both people and wildlife. Habitat walls are one of the most important wildlife resources. They can be characterized as a hotel where insects can shelter and lay their eggs. They can also be feeding places for insects, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals, and provide them with nesting materials. Through the habitat walls the relationship between people and natural world is enriched. A healthy natural environment provides the foundations for future growth and prosperity and provides the setting for healthy and happy communities.

Green roofs are significant to my studio sites, and believe they should be seriously considered. Carsington Waters is extremely biodiverse, this biodivercity atracts visitors. a green roof could be a way of encoraging this biodivercity www.carsingtonwater.com

Green roof links

www.livingroofs.org an independent UK resource for green roof information

www.english-nature.org.uk

www.igra-world.com a global networking site on green roof

http://www.blackdown.co.uk/