Green Roof houses from Faroe Islands

Ashley Nowak
3/8/13
ESS 315
• Vegetative roofs
• Made up of layers
• Two different types
• Cost and Benefits
• Layers:
– Vegetation
– Growth medium: the planting medium
– Filter membrane: Filters excess water
from the growth medium, allowing
the water to drain
– Drainage layer: Helps the excess water
move to the roof’s drain
– Root barrier/repellant layer: Prevents roots from breaching the waterproof layers
– Waterproof layer: A membrane that helps prevents water penetrating to the building
– Support panel/cover board: A thin board which protects, separates and adds additional
support to the roofs membrane
– Thermal insulation
– Vapor barrier/control layer: Prevents moisture from passing through the buildings ceiling
– Structural support: Provides support to the roof so the roof can carry the much heavier
green roof
• Two different types:
1. Intensive 2. Extensive

Green Roof houses from Faroe Islands

Kunterwasser House
• About 6 to 15 inches in depth
• Limited to flat roofs
• Can take large and heavy plants
– ex. Trees and shrubs
• Irrigation may be needed
• High maintenance
• Most expensive of the two types
– About $25+ per square foot
• About 2 to 6 inches in depth
• Can be on angled and flat roofs
• Limited to small and light plants
– ex. Herbs, grasses, and succulents
• Low water requirement
• Low maintenance
• Less expensive than intensive green roofs
– About $10+ per square foot
• Green roofs cost more than conventional roofs
– Conventional: $3-$9 per square foot
– Green roof:
• ~$10 for Extensive per square foot
• ~$25 for Intensive per square foot
• Green roof maintenance cost: $0.75 to $1.50
• Carbon sequestration
• Help control storm-water runoff, by absorbing
rainwater
• Reduced energy costs
– Green roofs acts as an insulator
• Helps mitigate the urban heat island effect
• Urban heat island effect: When an urban area
is hotter than the rural area nearby
• Causes:
– Reduced vegetation, materials like stone having a
high heat capacity, and geometry in urban areas
• Green roofs mitigate this by reducing the
amount of heat going through a buildings roof
– Does this by shading and evapotranspiration
(using heat from the air to evaporate water)
• http://enterprise1.astm.org/DOWNLOAD/E2400.101932-1.pdf
• http://www.greenroofs.com/Greenroofs101/intro.htm
• http://www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroof/
• http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cms/groups/pan/@pan/@sustainableblding/documents/web_i
nformational/dpdp017822.pdf
• http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/greenbuilding/resources/technicalbriefs/dpds_009485.asp
• http://www.epa.gov/heatisld/
• http://www.epa.gov/heatisld/mitigation/greenroofs.htm
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Nor%C3%B0rag%C3%B8ta%2
C_Faroe_Islands_%282%29.JPG/200px-
Nor%C3%B0rag%C3%B8ta%2C_Faroe_Islands_%282%29.JPG
• http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/stormwater/toolkit/images/gr-components.gif
• http://greeningthecity.wordpress.com/green-roofs/
• http://greeningthecity.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/kunterwasser.jpg?w=225&h=300