The Changing Tide of Green Roofing Systems in the USA

According to a recent a recent report, San Francisco may be first US city to require green roofs on new buildings.

30 percent of all the land area in San Francisco is comprised of rooftops, but most are under-utilised, according to the San Francisco Planning Department. City supervisor Scott Wiener is offering a solution that builds on the measure passed earlier this year to require rooftop solar. If new legislation introduced September 6 is approved, San Francisco would be the first city “to pass requirements for green roofs.”

The San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously approved the legislation Wiener introduced. The existing solar mandate requires 15 percent of rooftops on buildings with 10 stories or less to include solar panels. The new legislation would go a step further: 30 percent of new roofs could be turned into green roofs or a blend of green roof and solar panels. Owners could include two square feet of living roofs or a blend of living roofs and solar as opposed to one square foot of rooftop solar panels. According to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, their 11th Annual CitiesAlive Conference, hosted in San Francisco in 2013, helped inspire the legislation.

For more on this story, please visit – https://inhabitat.com/san-francisco-may-be-first-us-city-to-pass-legislation-for-green-roofs-on-new-buildings/

How Can Wallbarn Help?

Offering a huge variety of benefits, green roofs can range from roof gardens with raised beds and pots, to rolled-out green carpets, to shed roofs containing planting cells that are filled with soil or compost and planted up with low growing perennials and grasses.

A fully established, a mature green roof can be installed quickly and easily on difficult-to-access roofs by hand without the mess and disruption associated with traditional extensive green roof systems. M-Tray® is available as a pre-established, mature sedum product or with a native wildflower mix.

Recent Examples

Because the M-TRAY® comes as a complete kit, this recent installation came together with the absolute minimum of fuss because all the measuring and propagating has already been carried out by Wallbarn.

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For more information about this innovative new system, including additional tips on how to build a green roof, please visit the dedicated area on our website by clicking here.

Some of the benefits of installing a green roof include:

• Reducing problems of water run-off and better stormwater management
• Building insulation
• Aesthetic benefits
• Providing habitats for birds and insects
• Contributing to the improvement of urban air quality
• Cooling the urban environment
• Contributing to reduced noise pollution
• Reducing the risk of fire spread between buildings

Another key benefit of adding a green roof to any type of building including sheds, garages and storage areas is the ability to reclaim the space they take up, as well as improving air quality and encouraging wildlife into the garden.