GREEN ROOF AND GREEN MATERIALS

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Introduction

Green roofs have increasingly become attractive and common practice in the modern garden designs and an important segment of the architectural design of a building. A green roof refers to the vegetative layer or stratum grown on a rooftop. It not only removes air by the process of evapotranspiration but also provides shade. In the process, green roofs reduce temperatures of the roof surface as well as that of the surrounding air. A green roof can be installed on private residences, industrial facilities, and commercial buildings among other types of structures. Green roofing has become very popular in the United States. By June 2008, more than 8.5 million square feet of green roofs were in progress or fully installed. The practice is beneficial particularly on grounds of helping to avert risks resulting from air pollution and gas emissions from greenhouses. Similarly, green roofs can potentially reduce various forms of stress and apprehension due to heating or heat waves particularly during summer. In essence, green roofs tend to boost comfort of people inhabiting the building by substantially reducing heat transfer via building roof. Different types of green roofs are designed for specific purposes. The tremendous growth in green buildings has also affected the materials for building green roofs. Modern constructions have distinctive types of green roofs, which has also been vital to determining the nature of materials in green building. The thesis of this essay focuses the fundamental gains resulting from the adoption of green roofs, the influence on architecture and design, and impact on vegetable farming.

Green roofs reduce overall energy consumption by the building because they can absorb large amounts of heat. They also reduce emissions of green gas and pollution to the atmosphere. In reality, green roofs can potentially lower any production activities that may result to greenhouse gas emission and air pollution essentially by curtailing the demand for air conditioning. Similarly, the vegetation can also eliminate greenhouse emissions alongside air pollutants. Moreover, they act as insulators of the building by reducing the amount of energy required to trigger heating as well as cooling. In the same way, a reduction in the amounts of heat transferred through the roof inside the building by green roofs can conceivably increase comfort and reduce heat wave stress. Furthermore, green roofs improve water quality and enhance the management of storm water. For instance, the urban areas have continuously experienced problems of storm water runoff after a heavy downpour. The surface runoff can result to widespread soil erosion. With the introduction of green roof technology, it has become much easier to slow or reduce storm water runoff in these environments.

Apart from managing storm water, green roofs will also help in filtering pollutants from rainfall. In the same way, a green roof can provide a habitat for several species in addition to giving an aesthetic value. Accordingly, it improves quality of life. Before installing a green roof, it is necessary to consider the nature of the building first. For instance, the installer should determine whether the building is meant for residential or commercial purposes. Incidentally, every building type has distinctive techniques as well as rules that guide installation. The initial costs of purchasing and installing green roofs is always higher compared to cost of conventional materials. The net benefits of green roofs are obviously higher than conservative roofs.

The green design is one of the fundamental elements of a sustainable architecture. Many of the architects are keen to creating structures than appear to be part of the ecosystem. For instance, the ancient Greeks experienced the problem of low volumes of fuel resources. Hence, they invented new-fangled strategies that are still applicable in the contemporary world today. A case in point was their effort to position buildings such that they (buildings) captured or caught the sunrays. In addition, the knowledge of architecture will help achieve the most accurate design. Similarly, architects will attempt to design buildings depending on the specifications or data they obtain from the owner. Having the knowledge of the whole idea of green roofs right from the outset will help the architect come up with the correct design. Lastly, green roofs and green materials highlight and reflect the incredible innovation and development that has become an essential tenet of modern architecture and architectural designs.

Green roofing has further influenced vegetative farming. The mechanism or method of establishing has a positive implication on modern-day farming activities and practices. For instance, the concept employed to create and develop a green roof is almost similar to the procedures involved in vegetative farming. Apparently, vegetative farming is the practice that involves removal of part of a plant, and putting it in the soil to grow a new plant. Nevertheless, the materials for green roof should be natural and renewable locally. It should also be non-toxic. Apparently, low embodied energy material such as willow cuttings for slope stabilization or rammed earth for a retaining wall however; these materials may not be feasible in all situations. They may not be able to perform to the current construction standards, construction workers may not be skilled in techniques to build structures with these materials or they may not be appropriate for the scale of construction or requirements.

The roof is apparently the lid or occupies the top of a habitable structure that keeps the unwanted weather elements away and helps maintain the most comfortable conditions and temperatures for human habitation. Since humans continue seeking shelter, overhead covering to protect them from the sun, wind, rain and snow is necessary. This has evolved from natural materials such as leaves, thatch, and sod to durable materials like slate wood shingles, asphalt shingles, and now the present-day green roof systems. It is easier to build and maintain green roof systems that are on a flat or slightly sloped roof decks. The primary benefit of constructing roof systems on low-sloped roof decks is its applicability as water retention systems, reduction of heat gain and the ability to develop usable open spaces in urban areas without taking up more land.

Architects, especially those specialized in landscaping would try to determine the infrastructural needs to support the building and site programs. For instance, the architect will need to calculate the water retention capacities of differing growing media at various depths on a site-specific basis. Moreover, they would quantify the mass of growing media and vegetation at various moisture levels and incorporate variant insulating values into the sizing of heat, cooling and air conditioning systems. Contractors must deviate from the practice of cost estimation, project sequencing and selection, and installation of construction materials. In the same way, clients must be courageous in their programming. They must be vibrant in their expectations, commitment and able to finance the project through completion occupation and occupied maintenance.

A shift from localized use of materials to a more centralized large-scale production and global distribution from highly processed materials to highly processed ones. Site construction materials of the twenty first century must respond to an entirely different set of forces and global climate change, air pollution, rising fuel costs, ecological destruction and loss of diversity. The forces are rapidly driving and shaping the site, and construction industry through the swiftly growing sustainable development. To address the goal of sustainable development, the construction material production and construction industries must shift their use of resources and fuels from non-renewable to renewable.

Conclusion

The harsh reality about the adverse effects of global warming has influenced the escalating demand for environment friendly construction techniques and farming methods. For instance, various treaties and conventions such as the Kyoto protocol for green house gas reduction have immensely shaped the environmental policy frameworks adopted by such nations. The practice is beneficial particularly on grounds of helping to avert risks resulting from air pollution and gas emissions from greenhouses. Policy on waste reduction and recycling globally, and to a smaller degree in the U.S. are enhancing campaigns aimed at salvaging recycling and manufacturing exchange industries. In essence, policies are restricting the amount of emissions per state or country. Thus, countries have a responsibility to reduce emissions through recycling. In short, green roofs have fostered the realization of the goal of reducing environmental pollution through planting vegetation on rooftops.

List of References

Hopkins, Graeme, and Christine Goodwin. 2011. Living architecture: green roofs and walls. Collingwood, Vic: CSIRO Pub.

Luckett, Kelly.. Green roof construction and maintenance. New York: McGraw-Hill.2009.

Meisel, Ari.. LEED materials: a resource guide to green building. New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press. 2010.

Werthmann, Christian. 2007. Green roof: a case study. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.