As the name suggests, intensive green roof styles need more work to manage, as it includes maintaining an actual garden and keeping the different types of plants separately. The amount of required work to maintain them is another thing that differentiates these styles from one another. While an intensive green roofing system can hold or support 150 pounds of vegetation per square foot, extensive roofs can hold up to 25 pounds per square foot. There are two primary types of green roofing systems, the Extensive and Intensive, and the amount of vegetation utilized differentiates it. And some of them also incorporate energy-efficient roof hatches to have easy and safe access to their green roof. It could be above, at, or below the grade, but it exists separately or above the ground in all scenarios it provides a wide range of private and public benefits and has been successfully adopted in many countries worldwide. Green roof innovation includes the creation of green space on the top of the building structure. Provided that other cities follow suit, you might be seeing more and more roof gardens.A green roof is an addition to an existing roofing system which includes essential features, a root repellent system, filter cloth, drainage system, high or medium quality waterproofing, and a lightweight growing medium and plants to keep the structure safe and eco-friendly. New York City, for example, has a pilot program encouraging the installation of green roofs by offering tax abatements. Although green roofs are not simple or cheap, many cities recognize that long-term benefits outweigh the initial cost concerns. Green roofs typically cost two to three times more than a non-green roof. Despite their many benefits, a major obstacle is the initial expense. Although green roofs are on the rise in the United States, they are not nearly as common. In Germany, for example, 14 percent of all roof area is green. So, given all the benefits, why aren’t all roofs green? Outside of the United States, green roofs are much more prevalent. In the summer, green roofs retain up to 90 percent of the precipitation that falls on them and up to 40 percent in the winter. The ability a green roof has to absorb (and filter) water significantly lowers the risk of flash flooding and sewer overflows. Due to nonporous surfaces like pavement and rooftops, a typical city block generates more than five times more runoff than a woodland area of the same size. Because rooftops and streets in cities are hard surfaces, the volume and velocity of stormwater runoff increases tremendously and is a major source of flooding and pollution worldwide. Another important benefit of green roofs is their ability to reduce and slow stormwater runoff in urban environments.Additionally, this natural protection against extreme heat enables green roofs to last twice as long as traditional rooftops. A green roof’s plants remove air particulates, produce oxygen and provide shade.Green roofs help reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, a condition in which urban environments absorb and trap heat.

By lowering air conditioning demand, green roofs decrease the production of associated air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. According to a study conducted by the National Research Council of Canada, even a six-inch extensive green roof can reduce summer energy demands by more than 75 percent. Unlike traditional black tar roofs, green roofs reduce energy costs by absorbing heat instead of attracting it and providing natural insulation for buildings.The popularity of green roofs has increased in the United States due to their many benefits, While pretty, green roofs serve a much greater purpose than simple beautification. Library, Talley Student Union and Wolf Ridge Student Apartments.Ī green roof (also known as a rooftop garden or a living roof) is a vegetative layer grown on a rooftop. NC State green roofs are located at Engineering Building III (shown), JC Raulston Arboretum, James B.

Disadvantages of green roofs