The green roof combines all the advantages. Installed on terraces or low slope roofs, it is part of a sustainable development approach by providing natural insulation for buildings.
The principle of the green roof also called green roof, eco-roof or vegetated roof is to cover a flat or low slope roof with greenery. This technique has been known for centuries in Scandinavia or among the Inuit and has many advantages. Indeed, in an urban environment, a green roof can contribute to the restoration of biodiversity. This solution also offers good prospects for filtration and biological purification of rainwater. It also limits the massive inflow of rainwater into the stormwater pipes.
It is estimated that annually, a vegetated roof absorbs up to 50% of the water falling on the roofs, thus allowing a reduction of water treatment costs of 5 to 10%. The vegetation of urban roofs also reduces CO2 levels in the air while fixing the main pollutions (atmospheric dust and pollens).
For a sustainable architecture
In addition, the green roof technique allows the building to be naturally insulated. The mixture of earth and plants rooted on the roofs allows to realize air and water tight roofs but also resistant to wind and fire. In recent years, the practice of green roofing has become part of the current practices of sustainable construction, the architectural version of the philosophy of sustainable development. Indeed, the vegetated roofs of the terraces make it possible to protect the waterproofing materials (insulating membrane) from the U.V. and the solar thermal radiation. This natural protection allows us to expect a duration of 30 to 50 years for the waterproofing membrane.
Another particularly interesting point is that a green roof greatly reduces the large temperature differences. This means that the building materials are spared the usual physical stresses due to expansion, for example. The reduction of temperature variations can reach 40%, which ensures a clear improvement in the well-being of the occupants of the covered building. In turn, the better controlled temperature limits energy consumption for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter.
Last but not least, the vegetated earth is one of the best acoustic insulators of the moment since it absorbs sound waves.
