Vegetated roofs offer much more than just aesthetics.

So, why is adding vegetation to your roof such a big topic these days? Vegetated roofs are becoming more and more popular for a variety of reasons. They offer cities and building owners more than one benefit over traditional roof, some benefits you may not have thought of! In this post, we will talk a little bit about some of the environmental benefits and why they are appealing to building owners.

Let’s talk about the environmental benefits…

Environmentally, there are many benefits to installing a vegetated roof. These benefits go beyond simply trying to cut back on air pollution and bringing greenery to your city. A few of the topics that we will discuss in this post include:

• Stormwater management
• Reduce heat island effect

Stormwater management, what does that even mean?

One of the biggest reasons cities are seriously looking at implementing regulations related to green building is stormwater management. Cities are running into a real problem with pollution and sewer over flow events happening during heavy storms. When a heavy storm hits, the vegetation will soak up the rain water and release it into the plants rather than send it to the city streets and sewer systems. This helps in decreasing the chance of an overflow event and keeps the street and sewage pollution out of the city waterways.

Help your city in reducing the heat island effect!

When sunlight and attendant heat energy are absorbed into materials with dark surfaces (dark roofs), the urban heat island effect occurs. A vegetated roof would mitigate the consequences of the heat island effect and cool the air through the process of evapotranspiration. To break it down, on a 90-degree day, a traditional roof can exceed 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but a vegetated roof will emit a temperature of only 95 degrees Fahrenheit 

Looking for more? Keep reading about the environmental benefits of vegetated roofs.

 So, what's in it for me?

Vegetated roofs offer benefits to the building and its owner as well as the environment. Although there are many benefits, a few of the topics that we will discuss on this topic include:

• Protect your investment
• Energy efficiency

 You’ve already made the investment, why not protect it further?

Did you know that installing vegetation on top of your current roofing and waterproofing membrane can expand the lifespan of your roof? By protecting the underlying membranes against harmful ultraviolet radiation, temperature fluctuations and more, a vegetated roof can protect your investment.  It has been proven that vegetated roofs have a lifespan 2 times that of traditional roofs. Roof replacements are costly, so why wouldn’t you choose an option that will last longer?

Energy efficiency = saving money

Saving money is always on our minds, especially when it comes to building owners. Did you know that vegetation adds additional insulation to a building and can reduce the amount of energy needed to moderate the temperature of the building? The building owner will in turn save the building owner money on the cost of running electronic device such as HVAC systems throughout the year.

Interested in learning more about vegetated roofs and earning continuing education credits? Read our full vegetated roofing article to familiarize yourself with everything vegetated roofing and take the quiz at the end to earn continuing education credits.