Green Roof

 Probably everyone has seen Lord of the Rings, or at least everyone heard about it. Well I don’t have to tell you the story, because for this project I need to inform you about the Green Roof idea. What has that to do with Lord of the Rings?- the answer is: the landscapes. The beautiful landscapes of the film include the hobbit houses.

   They are small, cute, they are built under the hills and they seem to be the solution to our problem of the 21^st century. Because they have a garden to cover them up, they don’t damage the atmosphere, the animals or the others.

   

So, let’s tell you about the Green Roof idea.

 1.What’s that: Green Roof?

A Green Roof is a new trend that breaks up the monotony of common roofs. Long popular in Europe, homeowners, businessman and even entire cities found it attractive to promote environmentalism while solving the problems of the old known roofs.

They supplement traditional vegetation without disrupting urban infrastructure, because they take a neglected space and make it useful and beautiful.

Green roofs last longer than conventional roofs, reduce energy costs with natural insulation, create peaceful retreats for people and animals. 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.

There are two types of green roofs: intensive and extensive.

1. Intensive green roofs are essentially elevated parks. They can sustain trees, walkways and shrubs and benches with their complex structural support, irrigation, drainage and root protection layers. But they need 36-68 kilograms per square foot.
2. Extensive green roofs are relatively light at 7-23 kilograms per square foot. They support hearty native ground cover that requires little maintenance. They usually exist for their environmental benefits.

One of the most famous American Green Roofs, Chicago's City Hall, combines extensive as also intensive systems on one retrofitted roof.

Did you know that….

- A study performed by the Environmentally Institute of Canada discovered that Green Roofs reduce with 26% the necessity of cooling the air and the lost of heating in a house?

- In Egypt, Green Roofs are a true source of earth for vegetable gardens?

- 10% of Germany’s roofs are green?

- The largest Green Roof is in Madrid, Spain- Santander Bank?

THE BENEFITS OF A GREEN ROOF

Water - As a source control mechanism in the Sustainable Urban Drainage System green roofs can help reduce  floods as a consequence of intense rainfall events. This will become an increasingly important thing as a consequence of climate change.

Air Quality – airborne particles and pollutants are filtered by the substrates and vegetation on a green roof.

Urban Agriculture - Urban Rooftop Food Growing – roofs. Although many of the large flat roofs may not have the loading capabilities to hold food growing some roofs will and the many balconies in are urban areas are ideal.

Amenity Space – in dense urban environments there is often a lack of green space for residents. Green roofs provide important green spaces to improve the quality of life for urban residents.

Pollution - dust particles,including particles of heavy metals and other contaminating factors, wich circulate in the air,may be withheld by the substrates of a green roof,instead of harming us by polluting the enviroment.

 The “Hundertwasser project” represents one of the most important green roofs idea of the century.

You can plant a real garden on your roof, so that you can climb the stairs and reach to your vegetables and fruits. 

 And it’s also a very easy step to feed your animals, when you are not in the mood to walk them out.