Modular Green Roof System: Environmental Correctness in an Uncaring World

 

Atlanta’s High Museum of Art boasts a very large modular green roof system that has the capacity to hold about 62,000 gallons of storm water a year or about 70 percent of the total amount of rain that falls on the roof. The 6,680 square foot area is a perfect roofing how to, showing how these systems can profit the City of Atlanta by cleaning and reducing storm water overflow, reducing the urban heat island effect and energy consumption, extending roof life, and improving air quality.

 

A modular green roof system basically consists of trays of plants grown off-site and merely positioned on the roof to get total coverage. They are available in different depths of growing medium usually ranging from three to twelve inches. The assortment of plants is usually narrower. This roof system is a groundbreaking approach to urban green building design, using live materials to make the surroundings more habitable, efficient, and sustainable.

 

The popularity of the modular green roof system is increasing, with energy costs continuing to go up. The systems are easy and quick to install, and are usually seeded with alpines, succulents, herbs and grasses that are appropriate to the area. Of these, the perfect plant for garden roof systems has proven to be succulents, in that they have the capacity to soak up water in their leaves, stems and roots, which give them the ability to endure droughts and dormant times of the year.

 

The modular green roof system is exceptional in its flexibility, with the modules able to be easily relocated or removed. Shallow modules (three to six inches deep) are designed for low vegetation and weigh much less than the deeper modules designed for taller vegetation, including ornamental perennials and shrubs, when fully planted and wet. The plants arrive on the roof with established roots and full-grown appearance, and are pre-planted to client specification.