What are Green Roofs?

According to a “go green” blog named 2B Green World Website-LEED Consultants, “buildings represent over 50% of US wealth; $800 billion is the amount of renovation and new construction in the United States, buildings account for 1/6 of the worlds freshwater withdrawals, ¼ of its wood harvest and 2/5 of its material and energy flow” (Go Green Facts 1).These figures represent the disadvantages of a world without green building. Throughout this report the focus is on LEED certification and accreditation, and the impact LEED has on several different service firms. The report begins with background information about the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED, and LEED

#19. The green roof provides shade, remove air particulates. Protects the roof from sun damage, and cool the air as water lost moist from plants leaves.

Every group had its own suggestions for green infrastructure. The most popular method among the projects was the implementation of green roofs. As every group stated, green roofs can help regulate temperatures inside buildings, saving costs on heating and cooling. They are handy in capturing storm water runoff, which can then be used for food production. Group A did a good job showing these benefits, but neglected to consider the possible detrimental

Kiss + Cathcart did an incredible job of transforming Brooklyn waterfront, from a brownfield industrial strip to oasis of a public garden. What is surreal of the entire project, that the 13300.0 ft2 area is accessible to all and mostly covered by grass. The program for the site is going to be an athletic field, community facility and an NYC Park maintenance and operation facility into a 6.2-acre park. The building was only awarded, LEED Silver building in a park. Not only is was the conversion of a brownfield area to a park area, making this project sustainable. Also, The building is Under the northwest-facing green roof, the building is conceived as earth-sheltered, with controlled southeast and southwest solar exposures. Making the solar

One World Trade Center is an ideal representation of what green building is. It is not to say that the design and construction of this structure was not without its challenges. In this paper, I will discuss the factors that qualified the building for LEED certification. I will also discuss the challenges the building faced while pursuing this certification and what was done to overcome these challenges.

Wind energy is, “a renewable resource and has no fuel cost”, which helps the wind energy industry rise to prominence (American). With the low prices of wind energy, it is becoming an affordable form of electricity, although it still isn’t a main component in regards to energy production. Hydropower is the United States, “largest source of renewable electricity”; the most common type is conventional, which is typically associated with dams (Valley). Although hydropower is the most prominent green energy source in the United States, it doesn’t take away from the outrageous prices that go along with having this type of energy. Solar energy is the last main source of green energy. There isn’t as much research regarding this industry, because it isn’t as developed as the others. However, millions of dollars have been granted to try and better its development (Howell). Green buildings are structures that, “aim to reduce the negative impacts on the environment through using less natural resources to build and operate” (Dwaikat). These eco-boosting buildings incorporate each of the common types of green energy, however in some cases, they “don’t perform as predicted” (Dwaikat). In a case study over green buildings, it was found that they, “used around 160% more energy than expected”, which became a trend for the majority of the buildings (Dwaikat).

It is a "green building certification program that recognizes the best in class building strategies and practices." (LEED) There’s two types of green roofing depending on the depth of how far the planting can go. An intensive roof, which is thicker and it can support a wider variety of plants. Intensive roofs do require more maintenance and are heavier than most, because the minimum weight for this roof is 80 pounds. The second type of green roof is a extensive roof, which is shallow and lighter than the intensive roof which require minimal maintenance. The types of plants for an extensive roof “…have to survive intense solar radiation, wind exposure, drought, low nutrient supply, freezing temperatures and limited root area.” (International Green Roof Association) A green roof has about 8 layers starting with the roof deck, which is the actual building itself then a waterproofing layer is put down to prevent water damage from happening. “… a single-ply membrane such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer – a rubber typically used for pond liners) or TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin – an environmentally friendly and recyclable roofing product mostly used in large-scale commercial buildings, like the Rogers Centre) is usually used.” (Green Garage) After the water proofing layer is placed a drainage, water retention, and filter layers are placed down to act as root barriers for the

Anyone doubting the pride that the residents of Georgetown take in their homes and businesses need only look at the city's historic downtown and well-preserved Victorian homes. However, Georgetown has also embraced modern architecture to support a population that has increased dramatically since 1980. Whether they need asphalt shingles replaced, a new built-up roofing system, emergency roof repairs, new siding, a metal roofing system, an inspection to evaluate storm damage, new gutters or another roof-related service, the people of Georgetown know that they can count of Alpha Roofing for exemplary results.

Metal roofs have many environmental benefits, including longevity, recyclability and energy savings. For these reasons, environmentally conscious homeowners are turning to metal roof options.

Green buildings could become one of the main factors to preserve our rapidly decaying environment. There is no easy way to define a green building, but a green building is essentially a structure that amplifies the positives and mitigates the negatives throughout the entire life cycle of the building (Kriss, 2014). There are many definitions for a green building, but all of them include the planning, designing, constructing, and operating of the building while taking into huge considerations of the energy use, water use, indoor air environment, materials used and the effect it has on the site the green building is being built on. The first green buildings dates back to as far as the 1970’s, when solar panels went from experiments to reality. Green buildings were not as popular as they are today due to their extremely high pricing. With technology rapidly growing, solar panels are becoming cheaper and cheaper, making the transition to creating green buildings more affordable. This is the primary reason for the increased growth of green buildings today. A modern company that is paving the way to the growth of green buildings named LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, focuses primarily on new and effective ideas for environmentally friendly buildings projects. With more than 60,000 commercial projects worldwide and 1.7 million square feet being certified every day, LEED is one of the leading groups for promoting green buildings. LEED has popularized the entire

Materials and Methods: This paper present a design of depth of shallow 2 inch greensmart blanket, green roof mathematical models, cistern, plant types selection, and calculate the f factor. The paper collect data from their design green roof and compare the data with the authors’ previous work. Traditional green roof is laid loose soil, greensmart is a two inch blanket.

Depending on the specific metal in question, many roofs may be composed of 25 percent to as much as 90 percent recycled material. Environmentally conscious homeowners should inquire as to the amount of recycled material used in their roofing. Metal roofs can also save energy on cooling costs. By reflecting more solar radiation than asphalt and other roofing materials, metal reduces the buildup and transfer of heat into a home's living space. This alone can reduce cooling costs by up to 25 percent, and the effect can be further enhanced with a cool roof

Green Roofs are primarily installed to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and to protect water quality. There are two main types of green roofs based on the plant material, extensive or intensive. Extensive green roofs are characterized by lower weight, lower installation cost, lower plant diversity, and minimal maintenance. Intensive green roofs are characterized by deeper soil and greater weight, higher installation costs, increased plant diversity, and greater maintenance, however, they are accessible to the public and provide green space for activities in an urban setting.

When it comes to Australian roofing materials, there are two that stand out beyond the rest. While others may be used occasionally it is the roof tiles and colorbond that are seen on almost all homes. If you find yourself in need of a new roof you may be wondering about the benefits and downfalls of each. Why should a person still choose roofing tiles over the newer colorbond? This is a valid question that deserves a bit of research to explain the differences between these two products.

Rochester’s best roofers will be on hand for 2016’s Rochester Home Builders’ Association (RHBA) Home & Garden Show. Yorkstate Roofing has been known for over 17 years as the region’s expert roofers. These pros do everything from improving roof ventilation to installing new roof shingles - no matter what roofing issue you might be having, they’ll be able to solve it.