Green Roof Brochure - Engl202c

D I C T I O N A R Y

TERM

MEANING

Green Building

1961: Berlin, Germany Reinhard Bornkamm, a researcher at Berlin’s Free University, publishes his work on green roofs. 1971: Germany Landscape architects Gerda Gollwitzer and Werner Wirsing publish Roof Areas Inhabited, Viable, and Covered by Vegetation, an early treatise on modern green roofs. 1975: Mainz, Germany The Landscape Research, Development & Construction Society, which has established widely followed green-roof standards, is founded. 1998: Washington, D.C. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) creates the LEED rating system; green roofs can contribute toward up to six points on the 69-point system. 2001: Chicago City Hall: Chicago William McDonough and landscape architects Conservation Design Forum install the country’s first municipal green roof on Chicago’s city hall. 2004: Millennium Park: Chicago One of the largest green roofs in the world, the park extends 24.5 acres over underground parking garages. 2008: Bank of America Tower at One Bryant The first Platinum LEED high-rise office building will include a 4,500-square-foot green roof on a connecting building.

Eco-Friendly LEED

USGBC

Solar Panels/ Photovoltaic Modules Sedum

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed Device that converts light directly into electricity

BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT

GREEN ROOFS

Yellow flowers with typically five petals and water storing leaves

F U R T H E R

D E S I G N

History & Uses

Sustainable Design

An outcome of a design which focuses on increasing resource use efficiency while reducing building impacts on human health Seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance Not harmful to the environment

IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

R E A D I N G

www.greenroofs.com www.greenroofs.org www.usgbc.org www.usgbc.org/leed/ C O N T A C T

I N F O

Josh Wentz Professor Baptista ENGL 202C Summer 2009

LEED Certified

S U S T A I N A B L E

M I N I

Figure 2: Green Roof Figure 3: Extensive

Figure 4: Intensive

GREEN ROOFS

DISADVANTAGES

WHAT IS A GREEN ROOF? A green roof (Figures 1& 2) is a conventional flat or low sloped roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. The term “green roof” may also be used to indicate roofs that use some form of "green" technology, such as solar panels or a photovoltaic module. Green roofs are also referred to as eco-roofs, oikosteges, planted roofs, vegetated roofs, living roofs, and greenroofs. Figure 1: Green Roof

 Higher installation and maintenance cost  Structural standards are more demanding

TYPES

INTRODUCTION As an architectural engineering undergraduate at Penn State you have four options to choose from: Construction Management, Structural, Lighting/Electrical, or Mechanical. The Mechanical Option prepares students for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. Due to the national green movement, most companies and builders are striving to earn high LEED standards for environmentally sustainable construction. One way of earning LEED points is to have a green roof. This pamphlet will help familiarize you with a sustainable solution to construction, green roofs. You will learn what a green roof is, what types of green roofs there are, what the benefits are, what the disadvantages are, the layers of a green roof, and its history.

Figure 5: Urban Heat Island Effect

DETAILS

EXTENSIVE

INTENSITVE

Maintenance

Low

High

Costs

Low

High

Irrigation

No Moss, Sedum, Herbs, & Grasses Ecological Protection Layer

Regularly Lawn, Perennials, Shrubs, & Trees

3

4

Plant Communities

Use Figure

Park Like Garden

due to increased weight  Difficult to retrofit onto existing buildings because of the weight load of the soil and vegetation  Places excessive demands on the waterproofing system because of water retained on the roof and roots possibly penetrating the waterproof membrane

LAYERS Carefully selected plants

BENEFITS












Helps to lower metropolitan air temperatures Increases insulation value Combats urban heat island effect (Figure 5) Reduces stormwater runoff Absorbs rainwater and releases it slowly over a period of several hours Retains 60-100% of received rainwater Improves water and air quality Creates a habitat for wildlife Improves the aesthetics of the typical building Recovery of green space destroyed by buildings (eco-friendly) Longer life-span than standard roofs because the roofing membrane is protected from ultraviolet radiation and the extreme fluctuations in temperature

Engineered lightweight growing media System filter Drainage/Aeration element Moisture mat

Insulation Root safety barrier Roofing membrane Structural roof deck Figure 6: Layers of a Green Roof