Green roofs

[country_wife]

Does anyone here have a 'green roof'? As in the kind you grow plants on..not the color green. If so, tell me about it, please.

[foxtrapper]

We've got one here at work. I would not call it a success.

Green roofs are heavy. Real heavy. And the greener it is, the more heavy it is.

A thin layer of weeds, which is what we have, requires about 4 inches of gravel & dirt. Compare the weight of that 4" layer to a roll of tar shingles. Now build to hold that weight.

To make a green roof capable of supporting grass or crops, you've got to hold the better part of a foot of dirt up over your head. The structure for holding that kind of weight is rather massive and quite expensive.

And lastly is using the green roof. Going up on the roof to mow or harvest crops is pretty much a no-go. What with falling off the edges.

[fishhead]

I think for large buildings in cities green roofs would help cool the city and clean the air. It would also help create habitat for a whole host of species from butterflies to birds. On the home scale I think it would require the special design mentioned.

I remember reading about one of the car makers using a green roof on one of their buildings. I think it covered 4 acres.

[Smallhold]

Foxtrapper has a point there, weight is considerable. Insulation otoh is well worth looking into it.
Traditional houses in the east here used to have peat or earthen roofs. A while ago I saw some pics of a goat grazing a rooftop. It made the winter a lot easier to deal with.

[Pink_Carnation]

Does moss count?

[alpinechicken]

This is a good site to look at.

http://commons.bcit.ca/greenroof/faq.html

Green roofs are being encouraged on large commercial buildings in Vancouver Canada.

Jill

[Jenn]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/desig...es_index.shtml

try this site

[country_wife]

Thanks for the links! A green roof is really looking promising at this point.