The green roof is by no means a product of modern thought. The history of gardens on the roofs of buildings dates back several millennia - the first of them appeared in Assyria and Babylon. Perhaps the most famous rooftop garden complex is the Gardens of Babylon. A little later, green roofs appeared in Greece, and in Rome, and in Medieval Europe.
Today, such roof gardening systems are a kind of three-layer cake.
What to make such a roof? The bottom layer is a special film that protects the roof from the effects of plants. Next, a foam gasket is laid to help maintain the required balance of water in the system.
And finally, the layer in which the plants are planted.In general, the design has a very low weight, which allows both extensive and intensive greening of the roof of a residential building in the city.
This type of roof has, perhaps, only one drawback - the envious glances of the residents of neighboring houses, which is offset by many advantages:
- Absolute environmental friendliness - a turf roof.
- Protection against harmful electromagnetic and ultraviolet radiation.
- Noise protection.
- An additional layer of thermal insulation, a positive effect on the microclimate of the upper floors - in winter the rooms are much warmer, in summer - cooler.
- Reducing dust, increasing the amount of oxygen in the air.
- Protection of the roof from mechanical damage.
- Improving the aesthetics of the building and its prestige in a monotonous building, which leads to a significant increase in the value of housing.
- The possibility of a comfortable stay.
Now it's probably clear which roof is better.
Types of landscaping work on the roof
Today, there is a distinction between intensive and extensive roof gardening.
An extensive type of landscaping is the simplest and optimal in cases where roof maintenance is difficult for some reason. This system is used on flat roofs and sloping roofs, the angle of inclination of which does not exceed 45°.
Thus, ennobled:
- mall roofs,
- industrial enterprises,
- terraces,
- pavilions,
- garages,
- stops
- outbuildings and residential buildings that do not provide for the possibility of a person exiting onto the roof.
Advice.In this case, dozens of varieties of perennial plants are planted on the roof, which do not require cutting and watering, and also tolerate our winter well. As a rule, these are varieties of stonecrops and sedums.
Despite the simplicity of this system, the greening of the roof, performed by specialists, can be a very original composition.
Over time, a kind of community is formed on such a roof, which, often, is not limited to plant representatives alone. It is quite possible that in a few years your morning will begin with the wonderful song of birds living “on the floor above”.
However, this type of roof landscaping only allows you to admire the natural splendor, but if you also want to relax in your roof garden, you should resort to intensive landscaping.
Intensive gardening of roofs can be applied almost everywhere, however, it has received the greatest use in the design of residential buildings. It involves laying paths, planting trees and shrubs, and much more.
As a matter of fact, practically nothing limits the designer's imagination - it is possible to create multi-tiered flower beds, artificial reservoirs, alpine slides, etc. As a rule, light and water supply are provided.
Your roof garden will allow you to relax comfortably even on the hottest days of summer, as the living roof is very resistant to strong heat, thanks to plants that support the microclimate.
Advice. In addition, for the summer period, it is rational to add additional exotic species in containers and various recreational devices, such as sun loungers, awnings, portable fountains, to the general variety of living plants.
Design features of roof gardens
Roof gardens are characterized by the following parameters:
- Sufficient safety of people (especially small children). It is obligatory to create reliable parapets and protective fences with a height of at least 1.2m. Additional strengthening for the roof and the creation of the proper level of wind protection are needed (especially important for buildings of great height)
- The use of only modern environmentally friendly materials that are resistant to biological effects.
- Protection against metal corrosion, mold and oxidation.
- Root isolation.
- Permissible dimensions of loads on the roof structure, including taking into account dynamic loads (working mechanisms, the appearance of large crowds of people)
- Availability of special rooms for storing inventory
Ideally, the decision on the need for landscaping work is made at the design stage of the house.
In this case, it is possible to carry out preliminary all load calculations and create all the necessary conditions for plant growth (watering, waterproofing, planting sites, drainage).
It is also very productive to install the system at the final stages of construction, even if the design organization did not include a living roof garden in the plan of the house. In this case, the work is carried out as in the case of an already occupied room, however, installation time is required an order of magnitude less.
Range
It is worth emphasizing that greening the roof requires the selection of plants that fully meet some important criteria that vary from one object to another. For example, the roofs of high-rise buildings impose their own limitations.
Plants planted on them find themselves in conditions that are very close to mountainous: strong winds, higher levels of solar radiation, sharp and frequent temperature fluctuations. In addition, artificial ground is quite similar to rocks.
Not all plants are able to endure such dramatic changes, although there is a positive point - a significant reduction in harmful substances that interfere with healthy growth.
Regardless of the type of roof, plants must have:
- small root system
- be drought tolerant and frost tolerant,
- should not require extensive maintenance.
At the same time, the sod roof should be very attractive in appearance, so preference is given to dwarf or creeping species of shrubs and trees, unpretentious vines, frost-resistant grasses, and ground cover plants.
Advice. In order for the turf roof to be in the spring, small-bulb daffodils, crocuses, muscari and scills are planted.
Due to the fact that plants in such gardens can be studied in some detail from short distances, the habitus (appearance) of the plant is of particular importance - the color of the foliage, the shape of the trunk and crown, and the color of the bark. To create the most harmonious compositions, groups of similar trees, shrubs and flowers are selected.
After the experts work on your roof, it will no longer be just a roof - a turf layer will make it much more attractive in appearance and much more environmentally friendly.
This is a great way to create a unique design that will stand out against the background of monotonous buildings, give architectural monumentality liveliness and emotional expressiveness.Nothing else can compare with the comfort of relaxing on the roof of your own home.
So, these are the roofs, now the choice is yours!
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