Green Buildings - LITERALLY!
We've done a lot of work with an Interior Designer on Mercer Island, WA - who named her company Six Walls. She was visiting our Denver showroom a few years back and took the time to explain why she chose the company name. She said that most people think a room has only 4 walls - but including the ever important floor and ceiling - there are actually six walls. Clever, I thought.
Now, we are teetering on the edge of adding yet another wall - or surface - on which we can imprint our personal touch. In this case, we are talking about Green Roofs - roofs made of soil, grasses and other organic materials that are designed to promote improved stormwater runoff, protect buildings from the heat of the sun, and more. People have even taken this so far as to create a pasture for grazing animals on the roof of their building!
Here's a picture of a Green Roof in Tokyo from Dissonanc3 on Flickr via Ecogeek.org
It's a great idea and, while it may not be ideal in desert climates like in the Southwest, there is certainly something to be said about incoporating a little more color into one's exterior design.
Author's Name: Lindsay Barczuk
Posted Date: February 20, 2008 at 11:04 AM
Filed under: Green Building and Eco Friendly Products, Lindsay Barczuk
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Tags: green building, green design, green roofs, interior design, mercer island, six walls, solar energy, stormwater runoff
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I wanted grass on my new roof and had an engineer do the calculations for the planning office. The roof needs to be substantially stronger to allow for the heavier weight, which means almost double the structural cost. So I tried it out on a shallow-sloping and also on a flat-roofed shed. Problems are weeding and watering. [Some people use succulents which need little water but do not keep weeds at bay.] Because of the thin cover, you need to water grass every day during a hot dry summer. If you do not mow, the grass will grow long and form clumps. No problems with clogging the spouting. It looks great, much better than looking out on a bare roof.
Posted by arnold chamove on February 23, 2008 10:28 PM
Arnold, thanks for the added information. I hadn't really thought about the extra support that would be necessary for a green roof. And for those of use that don't have goats to put on our roofs, how would you keep grass trimmed?
I remember seeing a green roof about 10 years ago outside fo Bergen, Norway. In the setting of fjords, it look natural. I also wonder if a green roof would look completely out of place in a setting like suburban Denver, CO.
Posted by Lindsay Barczuk on March 7, 2008 5:23 PM