HOW GREEN ROOFS ARE AIDING
THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
It is widely acknowledged and So, as well as the health benefits are Its worth noting that including a green
accepted that green spaces are there any others to justify the cost? roof in your planning might make it
important to health and wellbeing. Quite simply, yes – numerous! Green easier to gain planning permission.
Numerous studies have shown that roofs are a simple means of supporting BREEAM (the Building Research
utilising green spaces boosts the and increasing bio-diversity. By Establishment’s Environmental
wellbeing of urban dwellers; improving planting wildflowers, sedum or other Assessment Method) is a method
both physical and mental health. flowering plants a green roof space can used to assess a development or
provide a range of ecosystem services building’s sustainability with regard
and mitigates the ecological impact of to a series of ten different categories.
construction. There are huge benefits Incorporating a green roof into your
to the environment by reducing air project will earn you BREEAM points,
and noise pollution. As with any the number will depend on a number
green-covered planted area, a green of factors which includes the purpose
roof will help to lower levels of CO2 of the green roof, whether for energy
(carbon dioxide) in the air which has efficiency, ecology etc
With space being at a premium,
planners and designers in towns and
cities have been rising to the challenge
of coming up with creative solutions.
Creating green spaces on top of
buildings, known as Roof Gardens,
Green Roofs or roof garden terraces
has been one such response and
has proved popular with designers,
planners and citizens. Green spaces
on roofs which are accessible to the
local community as a social space for
citizens to relax and enjoy nature is
becoming increasingly common in new
development plans.
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Landscape & Urban Design Issue 38 2019
an overall positive effect on the local
environment as well as contributing
to the wider global warming issue.
Green roofs are widely acknowledged
to counter the urban heat island effect
and aid with flooding by slowing down
storm water or attenuating it via a
Blue Green roof.