Benefits of Green Roof Commercial Buildings
Eco-friendly roofs give businesses and corporations the chance to reduce their carbon footprint through the use of sustainable practices. Companies around the world are converting their existing roofs into green roofs. By doing this they are extending the life of their roofs, reducing stormwater runoff, improving air quality, and reducing energy consumption.
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What are Commercial Green Roof or Eco Friendly Roof Systems?
Create Sustainability with a Commercial Green Roof
Bring Your Roof to Life
What are Commercial Green Roof or Eco Friendly Roof Systems?
Commercial green roof systems, also called eco-friendly roof systems, are a type of sustainable building design. They aren’t a different type of roof membrane, instead, they are a living ecosystem that grows on top of a roof. They come in many shapes, sizes and when planted with native vegetation – a green roof becomes a habitat for indigenous species and migrating butterflies, birds, and bees.
There are three types of eco-friendly roofs: Intensive, Semi-Extensive, and Extensive. An extensive green roof is characterized by its low weight, a thin layer of growing medium (green substrate), a mix of plants adapted to conditions on the roof, minimum maintenance, and low installation costs. A semi-intensive green roof has a thicker layer of growing medium in order to broaden the range of plants, but involves more maintenance and irrigation systems are sometimes essential. An intensive green roof has a deep soil layer and is suitable for small trees and shrubs, supports people walking, and is often used for roof gardens.
Extensive roofs are the most affordable and advantageous for companies as they provide many benefits including environmental, social, and financial benefits with little upkeep and attention.
Green roofs consist of a number of layers, the roof structure, waterproof membrane, insulation, root barrier, drainage layer, filter layer, growing medium and the plant layer. Many companies have developed modular systems which incorporate all of these layers into a single module.
Create Sustainability with a Commercial Green Roof
Green roof commercial buildings provide increased sustainability for both society and the environment. Corporations both large and small can incorporate an eco-friendly roof to their buildings and decrease runoff water, reduce energy consumption, and improve air quality. In addition, living roofs or green roofs can lead to improved roof ROI!
Stormwater Runoff Reduction
While it seems harmless, stormwater runoff is a large source of pollution. As the water flows along the surface of the roof and other buildings, it picks up contaminants including litter, chemicals, and other toxic materials.
Green roof systems for commercial buildings help to reduce runoff because they offer a layer of soil or plant material that takes in the water. After it takes in the water, it both feeds the plan and releases excess through evaporation. Green roofs can hold up to 2 gallons of water per square foot.
Reduction of Energy Consumption
A commercial green roof can help reduce your company’s energy use. Eco-friendly roofs like green roof systems for commercial buildings help to reduce heat through evapotranspiration, the combination of surface evaporation and plant transpiration. Studies have shown that a green roof can reduce your cooling costs by 50% and more during the summer months and in the winter your building will retain 15-30% more heat than if you had a conventional roof. On a sunny, 80-degree-F day, a black roof can reach 180 degrees F; a white roof 120 degrees; and a plant-covered roof 85 degrees.
Improved Air Quality
As previously stated, eco-friendly roofs help to conserve energy and lower temperatures through evapotranspiration. This is just one way that green roof systems for businesses help to improve air quality. Green roofs also help by removing and preventing additional air pollutants that harm our climate, human health, and air quality. Plants utilize stomata, small pores or openings on their cells, to absorb existing ozone. As they lower temperatures, they also reduce pollution and greenhouse gasses.
Improving Roof ROI
Increased longevity of roofing membranes. The plants and growing medium are absorbing the solar rays, protecting the roofing materials from UV breakdown. The green roof also shields the membrane from extreme temperature variations, another cause of hastened degradation. According to Penn State’s Center for Green Roof Research, a green roof will lengthen roof life by two to three times.
Bring Your Roof to Life
Bring your business’s roof to life (literally) with studioTECHNE | Architects. We are dedicated to helping you reach your objectives through thoughtful inquiry, our years of expertise and experience, and creativity. Start a project with us today!
