As the name suggest Green roof means covering the roof of a particular building or a house with grasses, vegetation, shrubs and some plants. In more simple words it’s rooftop garden. It has a lot of benefits and in current times many buildings apartments are using this technique in their balconys as well as on the roof.
Today’s scenario population is increasing which leads to the urbanization now as more people coming into the cities the industries are expanding widely they are producing a lot of wastage which are harming environment. And due to this reason green roof benefits our environment.
Global temperature is rising heat in the urban areas is also breaking all records hence rooftop become important. In this blog we are discussing Green roof benefits, how Green roof reduce stormwater runoff green roof urban heat island mitigation and how to build a green roof at home.
What Are the Green Roofs benefits That Most People Overlook?
1. Stormwater runoff management, stormwater runoff is an environmental problem which occurs when rainwater float on roads or on rooftop. These floating water can collect crash chemicals and other harmful substance with them into the river stream or any other water body suggest lake. Green Roof reduce stormwater runoff, vegetation in the roof absorb these waters also intensive vegetation which are in ground level the soek all the water.
Green roofs retain 50–90% of annual rainfall depending on vegetation and soil depth. According to a Penn State University study, green roofs can reduce peak stormwater runoff by over 75% during heavy rainfall
2. Green Roof urban heat island mitigation, urban heat island effect. UHI is a natural phenomena in which the urban areas are 5 to 10 degree Celsius more higher than their surrounding rural areas. This is due to lower greenery ,concrete building and other heat trapping materials. Green roof reflects more and more heat and they also work as another layer for the Indoor room which helps to reduce their temperature more.
EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) data shows that green roofs reduce surrounding air temperature by 1.5–4.0°C in dense urban areas. A study by Santamouris et al. (2014) found that widespread green roof adoption can reduce urban heat island intensity by up to 60%.
3. Improves air quality, greenery in the roof provides high quality air and inhales carbon dioxide, overall helping in creating a clean environment. Fresh air quality helps in maintaining good health. Plants on green roofs absorb pollutants like NO₂, SO₂, PM2.5, and trap dust. Rowe (2011) found green roofs can remove up to 0.2 kg of particulate matter per square meter per year. A green roof of 1,000 sq.m. can filter over 20 kg of harmful air particles annually.
4. Energy saving, green roof add an extra insulating layer which reduce temperature. Green roofs reduce cooling costs by 25–30% in summer and heating costs by 10–15% in winter. University of Toronto study showed energy savings of up to $5.92/sq. ft annually due to better insulation. Green roof helps in energy saving by reducing the usage of air conditioners, they work as a natural air conditioner. Which helps in a lower electric bill. Green roof Make building warm in winter and cool in summer.
5. Boost biodiversity and gives an aesthetic look. Beautiful greenery butterfly bees and birds which completely makes an ecosystem. Green roofs can support over 150 species of plants and insects per rooftop (intensive type). A study in Basel, Switzerland showed that green roofs increased urban insect diversity by 300%. And newly made ecosystem makes building look more aesthetics. Which eventually increases the value of the apartment of the building. You can also practice balcony gardening and connect it with the Green Roof
6. Noise Reduction with Green Roofs : Green Roof reduce noise pollution specially in urban areas with high traffic , railways and airports. According to a study by Van Renterghem et al. (2013), green roofs can reduce indoor sound levels by up to 40 dB for high-frequency noises. Soil and vegetation absorb and reflects sound waves especially ranging between 1000Hz to 2000Hz, That’s common in cities.
7. Green Roofs Extend Roof Lifespan : Green Roof protect the roofing membrane from UV rays temperature fluctuations, and mechanical damage. A study by the National Research Council of Canada showed that green roofs double or triple the lifespan of a conventional roof. Traditional roofs last around 15–20 years, while a green roof can last 40–50 years when properly maintained. Green Roof prevents from extraction and contraction cycle that causes cracks in the roof membrane, it reduce thermal stress.
Extensive vs intensive green roof : What are the types of Green roof
Before knowing about how to build a green roof at home , we must know about its types. We had earlier discussed what is green roof and green roof benefits so basically it is a type of practice in which we grow small plants grasses scrubs on to the roof or in our balcony. There are two types of Green roof extensive and intensive. We will discuss about the structure water absorbing ability and drainage.
Extensive Green roof
Extensive Green roof is a type of vegetative roof which is shallow around 4 to 6 inches. It is lightweight construction and promote light vegetation. Since they are lightweight they do not required high maintenance cost. Extensive Green roof is not design for heavy human interaction hence they are not organised well
Intensive green roof
Intensive green roof is just opposite to extensive green roof. It is heavy vegetative rooftop and it targets deep soil substrate. It allows a wide range of plantation to be grown different types of trees are planted. Intensive green roof is designed to replicate actual ground level garde. Cost of maintenance is high and also there is heavy human interpretation hence disorganized very well.
How to build a green roof at home : DIY GUIDE
1. Check building strength, before starting anything first check the strength of the building. Consult an engineer or a builder anti the advice seriously. Don’t try to compromise. Then another step is to check the rules of the society or the area if the authority is not allowing to make a green roof on the building.
2. Applying strong membrane, place strong membrane which prevents water leakage on the building. Then also put some root barriers to prevent roots from the damaging the building. The membrane could be makeup of rubber but it should be strong enough to hold the plants
3. Use drainage materials, use materials like gravel sandstone to make a proper drainage system you can also use artificial drainage system if you can afford. Remember that you are drainage systems should allow water to move every area so that roots will not be dry. And also drainage outlet should be barrier less/unclogged.
4. Add protection and medium, add a protective layer between drainage and soil like geotextile fabric. It filter fine soil particles and protect the drainage system. Don’t use regular garden soil because this is very heavy use mixed and lightweight soil which are mixture and nutritional. And focus on depth if you want intensive then death should be 6 to 24 inches and if extensive then it should be 3 to 6 inches.
5. Choose the right plant since it is not completely a garden and it does not have unlimited resources so we have to pick this plants which are drought tolerant and which do not required highly maintenance. Some plants such as sedom , moss , small herbs , native grasses etc are good example of the plant required in Green Roof
Now final for irrigation if the roof is that you can install drip irrigation and if the roof is small you can manually irrigate your plans to or three times per week. Also remove weeds and check composed every week for the maintenance and this is how to build a Green Roof at home
Real word examples of Green Roof : green roof examples in cities
Chicago city hall USA. This Green Roof was made to counter the heating island effect which race cities temperature by several degree. This Green Roof had reduced energy consumption by 10% of the building by providing natural cooling. This building also helps in stormwater runoff reduction, and now it can reduce Urban water flooding upto 70-75% . Green roof has also increased the value of the building with its aesthetic look
Is green roofing worth in your area ?
we have seen green roof benefits and also understood how to build green roof at home But now we will focus that is it worth to build it in our area ? For building green roof in your area you need to analyse your overall location and size of your building or house. Green roof building could be expensive as it requires maintenance and a proper location.
So basically if you area comes under heat waves or your area favours summer season more you can build green roof on your apartment. But it also depends on your budget. It has a lot of benefits which I already discussed and if you don’t have budget then you can follow our step by step guide for making homemade green roof. To conclude follow the guidelines of government to build green roof
Yes you can make if – your budget is sufficient, you can maintain it well ,you need an aesthetic look, your area comes under heat zone and you need cooling
Don’t make if – your area is in cooling environment or you don’t need asthetic look because it requires heavy maintenance and sufficient investment
Some additional points
Maintenance :- green roof requires proper maintenance which could monthly, seasonal and yearly. maintenance. In monthly maintenance focus on removing weeds, do visual inspection check for leakage or any break in the drainage layer. In seasonal maintenance you can check plant health and soil fertility, remember to provide water consistently.
COST required –
| Component | Estimated Cost (per sq. ft.) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproof Membrane | ₹70 – ₹120 | Essential for roof protection |
| Root Barrier Sheet | ₹20 – ₹40 | Prevents plant roots from damaging the structure |
| Drainage Layer (gravel/drain board) | ₹40 – ₹100 | Helps with water runoff |
| Filter Fabric | ₹10 – ₹25 | Prevents soil clogging drainage |
| Growing Medium (soil mix) | ₹20 – ₹40 | Lightweight mix of compost, sand, vermiculite etc. |
| Plants/Grass Mat | ₹25 – ₹100 | Depends on plant choice (sedum, grass, herbs etc.) |
| Labor Charges | ₹40 – ₹80 | Based on region & labor availability |
| Total Estimated Cost | ₹225 – ₹505 per sq. ft. | Moderate roof with basic plants |
CONCLUSION
I hope you read the full article and if you haven’t read them I m sure that you have read the green roof benefits. Overall green roof is a brilliant technique which have a lots of benefits and you can also create it at your home you just required a proper guideline. I work for my users you can comment down if you need the full and detailed blog on making green roof at home. Green roof is eco friendly practice but if you are busy in your daily routine then you cannot maintain it well you need to hire someone for this.