Verdant surfaces

Two Kinds of Roofs
Green roofs are generally classified as either "extensive" or "intensive." Extensive roofs are characterized by a shallow growing medium (less than six inches), modest roof loads, limited plant diversity, and minimal maintenance. Often planted with grass, sedum, or moss, such roofs are not necessarily accessible or even visible by occupants, but they offer ecological andenergy-saving advantages. If planted with drought-resistant native species, they might require little irrigation besides rainwater.
|Shallow Assembly Diagram |[pic] |
|1 | |
|Growth media| |
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|2 | |
|Moisture retention mat ||
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|3 | |
|Drainage board | |
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|4 | |
|Protection fabric | |
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|5 | |
|Membrane (adhered) | |
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|6| |
|Dens Deck | |
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|7 ||
|Approved insulation | |
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|8 | ||Substrate | |
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|Image Carlisle Syntec ||


Extensive in San Francisco
One new example of an extensive roof is on San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences building, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop in conjunction with Chong and Partners Architecture, SWA Group, and ARUP Engineering. The primarily flat rooftop has dozens of skylights and several large mounds...