Green Roofs Npr

Green roofs have become natural fits for many public buildings as well thanks to large scale environmental and financial benefits such as energy efficiency storm water management sound insulation and the development of habitats for birds and other urban creatures.

Green roofs npr.

They fall into three main categories extensive intensive and semi intensive. A green roof also helps control storm water runoff and retention. Then we imagined what the city could be like if all of its roof space was green. Modern systems help mitigate the heat island effect create habitats filter pollutants sequester carbon and even increase agricultural and amenity space.

But now some of those roofs are going green. Many of them can t take foot traffic. Green roofs are also known as vegetative or eco roofs. Green roofs for healthy cities grhc is the north american industry association for the green roof and wall sectors.

The increased urbanization of towns and cities has resulted in less green space and more impervious surfaces. A green roof is a roof that has grasses or plants all over it and the idea is not new. Large enough green roofs such as commercial vegetative roofs may even reduce the risk of local flooding during heavy rain. Instead they re like green skins layers of vegetative matter that grow directly on.

Although there are no precise definitions of them an extensive green roof has a shallow growing medium usually less than six inches with a modest roof load limited plant diversity minimal watering requirements and is often not accessible. Commercial green roofs are not roof gardens. Npr s chris arnold reports. Precipitation generally runs off the roof of a building into gutters and flows into a storm sewer.

We took a field trip to the largest green roof in new york city. This absorption of stormwater also improves local water quality. Npr s ketzel levine reports. Green roofs soak up stormwater reducing its impact on local plant and animal habitats.

In the most basic sense green roofs are a layered combination of vegetation and membrane over a building that can help insulate and provide water management. And then there s what scientists call the heat island effect which basically means that cities are significantly warmer than the surrounding areas.