How Are Green Roofing Systems Constructed

It’s not really a matter of colour, although many green roofs are indeed green. The ‘green’ actually refers to plant life and vegetation, which is supported on top of the roof for a few different reasons. Growing plants on your roof might sound like a crazy idea, but it presents a myriad of benefits to the modern homeowner, with increased energy efficiency being a primary advantage.

Typically, a roof is designed with a slope and a point. This is intended to keep water off of the roof. The water rolls along the slopes, into the gutters, and down the drains. However, a green roof is slightly different in construction and function. It’s actually built to trap the water on the roof. That water is used to fuel the plant life growing above.

How Easy Is It To Instruct a Green Roof?

Throwing grass seeds will not create a sustainable green roof as the grass needs a higher level of dense, high nutrient soil to survive and the roof will not be able to take the weight in most cases. Plus, it will become waterlogged and stale over time. A green roof needs to be free draining at all times in order to survive long term and thanks to the introduction of the new improved M-TRAY® modular green roofing system to the UK market has made it easier than ever before.

This pre-grown sedum green roof product is supplied in easy-to-handle plastic tray units.

A fully established, 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.

This trademarked design incorporates strong tray units measuring 500 x 500 x 100mm, made from injection moulded recycled polypropylene. The frame itself is 2mm thick throughout, and is designed to tolerate significantly more than the 15-20kg saturated weight produced when the units are fully loaded with substrate and sedum plants.

The M-TRAY® modules are delivered to site on shrink wrapped pallets. Because these are live products, it is essential that they are unpacked as soon as possible and given access to light and water. The plants will suffer if they are left palletised longer than 24 hours after delivery.

For more about the new, improved design for the M-TRAY® modular green roof system for 2016 please check out the video below:

Offering Energy Efficient Qualities

Whilst there can be little doubt that the installation of a green roof can greatly improve the aesthetics of a standard roof, the benefits do not stop there.

Key information regarding green roofing systems:

• Green roofs are beneficial to the local environment as they attract wildlife, absorb dust, noise and pollutants and offer localised ambient cooling
• A green roof traps some water on the roof but must always allow rainwater to run out of the system so proper drainage should be built into the system
• A green roof is not designed to do the opposite to a traditional roof. It will absorb heat and water but it is in addition to insulation and waterproofing, not an alternative
• The roof has always been a topic of debate section: bitumen roofs can absorb a huge amount of heat during the day. The surface temperatue of asphalt waterproofing membranes can be as much as double that of the ambient temperature