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Photo Source: ReNatur© Stauden Brochure |
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Greenroofs, eco-roofs, nature roofs, or roof greening systems are living,
vegetative roofing alternatives designed in stark contrast to the many standard
non-porous roof choices. Their greatest potential lies in this capacity to cover
impervious surfaces with permeable plant material.
Greenroofs help to invest in
the protection of our environment by diminishing developmental impact on our
communities while providing a fresh approach with visually appealing organic
architecture. Here is a potentially ideal architectural union of
aesthetics, economics, and ecology.
Ecology is generally defined as the study
of the interactions among organisms and their environment (Dramstad, et al,
1996). In part, the current environmental crisis is the result of design
failure to consider the health of human communities or of ecosystems.
"Thinking ecologically about design is a way of strengthening the weave that
links nature and culture." (Van der Ryn and Cowan, 1996). In
man-made/man-disturbed ecologies or landscapes we can mend, minimize, and
ameliorate the design, ultimately restoring these landscapes (Westmacott
lecture, 1999). Greenroof ecology is certainly a new area of interest, and
can be viewed both as an independent ecosystem and as an interrelated connection
to a local ecosystem. Greenroofs are the products of natural forms
and materials and by mimicking nature, their function produces natural
processes: they represent a living dynamic system.
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Photo Source: ZinCo International
Brochure 3/98 |
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By utilizing the process of integrated
design, we can assess the attributes of a site and create buildings and
developments that heal rather than harm the environment.
Greenroof structures can become net producers of energy, clean water and air, as
well as part of healthy human and biological communities. Mutually dependent
factors such as soil make-up, ground water, topography, microclimates, existing
vegetation and land use together combine to create our livable environments, and
we can incorporate these site- specific elements to create a unique greenroof.
The same set of beneficial landscape ecological principles can be applied to all
greenroofs, whether constructed at the scale of a garden shed or a 40,000 m2
factory.
Instead of replacing the natural
environment with the built environment, we should strive for an intermingling of
the two so that each can help sustain the other. Building rooftops, usually
considered forgotten spaces and deserts in biological terms, now represent
valuable opportunities for creating a new life environment. The basic philosophy
of greenroofs applies sustainable “green development” techniques to support our
human and natural communities and development while remaining economically
viable for owners and users of a site.
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