Green Roof Construction

[onebugle]

We have a green roof being installed on a former town building (a second one possibly in the works) that is being converted to condo's. The following is an excerpt from a recent article about the roof in regards to wieght.

The weight alone makes green roofs useful only under certain conditions.

The roof adds about 20 pounds to each square foot of roof surface. State building codes also require any roof to be able to handle 30 pounds per square foot of snowpack on top of them.

The article goes on to say that green roofs for single family homes would be cost prohibitive due to the required reinforcing of the roof structure to handle the additional weight.

[CaptainGonzo]

There are a couple of homes in my community that have "green" roofs, as they are built into hillsides and the living areas are underground.

The roof structure is made of concrete covered in dirt and grass, so venting an underground home is damn near next to impossible. It's a lot like fighting a basement fire, which isn't fun at all.

[mcfd45]

If you are in the MI area Ira township's hall has a green roof. check it out maybe?

[ullrichk]

Unlike most roofs which shed water, the weight of a green roof is going to fluctuate with the amount of moisture in the soil, which begs the question what's holding it up?

In most cases there should be some engineering drawings that would be useful in determining specific hazards and strategies. Check with your building department first.

[dmleblanc]

I suppose you'd bring a shovel to the roof to ventilate?

[doughesson]

I've never heard of any fires in such structures but would thinking of it like a basement fire be a start?

[GoshenFire]

Looking for departments that have experience firefighting building with the dirt and plant roof structures. If you can let me know anything about this topic, I would greatly appreciate it.