They appeared as a consequence of World War II, when German people had to start growing their vegetables in buiding roofs as no one had big means of productor or money to buy them. Step by step this kind of subsistance turned into an aesthetic resource to bring nature among all the devastation caused by bombings and the buildings in which families tried to seek for shelter.
Nowadays, Green roofs or ecological roofs are the best way to reduce global warming, a great scenery to have a relaxing cup of tea or a proper place to refresh your ideas when working closed spaces stress people out.
It is firmly proved that in hot climates, common roofs can absorb temperaturas up to 60ºC while Green Roofs can mantain the temperatura around 10ºC. This clearly helps buildings keep cooler inside but also these kind of Green Roofs can prevent cold for entering the building when temperaturas drop below zero, resulting in a substantial energy saving in climate control means.
Precisely, UV rays are the main reason of the deterioration of the conventional exposed waterproofing layers and that is why a vegetable layer will protect this exposed waterproofing layer with the consequent saving in its manteinance providing more life to the protection of the building against leaking and dampness. In adittion, a vegetable layer also provides a natural ambient noise protection.
While you use plant species with no invasive roots not to harm the waterproofing layer with above 8 cm soil it wont be needed more than a weekly watering manteinance. In an extensive vegetable roof with turf and some ornamental plants, once consolidated it wont require further special cares beyond a watering system.
It is stablished that an intensive vegetable roof is the one that includes dense vegetation with arnamental plants and bushes that require fertilizers, proper watering and garden manteinance. So it is important to select the proper Green Roof that fits the needs of the building neighbourhood community.
Besides all weve mentioned, experts point out that Green Roofs are a great way of recovering Green spaces in which buildings are raised, as vegetation will atract insects and this fact will atract birds and you help create an ecosystem that will start filtering pollution and increase ambiental humidity.
All these pile of reasons of convinience, wellness and general savings has made that lots of governments are promoting Green Roofs by giving public incentives to those who bet for Green Roofs.
