The Environmental Trend of Using Sod Roofs
/Eco Friendly Sod Roof
Published Date: May 15, 2010
When you think of the roof of a house, you probably think of shingles, sheets of tin or ceramic tiles. However, there is a new trend in roofs that is actually not anything new. It is sod roofs and for thousands of years they were the way most humans built a roof. It is nothing new, but this age-old practice is being rediscovered as more and more individuals try to become more self-sufficient and environmentally-friendly.
Also called turf roofs and green roofs, a sod roof is typically built these days by combining dimpled plastic drainage membranes that are used instead of birch bark. Bitumen roofing felt is nailed down and a drainage membrane is put over this to create the drainage layer. Turf is then put on.
Other types of green roofs do not use this method. Some are only roofs with container gardens on top, while others feature irrigation systems and while not sod, allow for the growing of plants. Another form of green roof is the use of rooftop ponds that are used to treat grey water before it is used elsewhere by the homeowners.
A green/sod roof serves many purposes for a home or building. It helps to create a habitat for some wildlife, especially birds and insects, while absorbing rainwater, insulating the building and lowering the urban air temperature. It has also been found that not only do green roofs increase the value of a home; they also greatly increase the life span of the roof itself.
Some other benefits of the green roof include:
1. It can reduce the cooling load of a building by as much as 90 percent, with 50 percent being the norm.
2. It reduces storm water run off.
3. It filters both pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the outside air.
4. It helps to filter out any pollutants that may be in the rainwater.
5. It insulates the building from outside sound.
6. It provides agricultural space even in the middle of the city.
In a study done by Environment Canada, it was found that a green roof greatly improves the insulation of the roof. In the study, there was a 26 percent reduction in summer cooling needs and a 26 percent reduction in winter heat loss when there was a green roof. The lifespan of a roof was also increased by two to three times when it was a green roof.
Buildings all over the world are beginning to latch onto the idea of a green roof, including in Vancouver where more and more buildings are growing gardens on the roof instead of just leaving it bare.
Just recently, the University of Central Arkansas put in plans to put soil and plants on top of a classroom building in order to save money on the cost of utility bills and to help gain more benefits from the natural surface on top of the roof. University officials plan to put low-growing and slow-growing plants on the top of the roof, amounting to roughly 2,000 square feet of soil and plants. The life of the building will also be extended because the green roof will soak up UV rays.
To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on May 15, 2010.
