Green rooftops

01/01/16

“How can we fix the problems of conventional rooftops while simultaneously making them friendlier for the environment?”
Traditional rooftops, while useful for insulating us against the hazardous external world, have many drawbacks associated with them. They can get hot in the summer, get moist during the rainy season, and can sometimes be unpleasant to look at. These grievances look like the perfect sort of job for an engineer to solve. To start, we should address the primal causes of the heating and water runoff. What sort of material would be capable of countering these effects? Well, if we look hard enough, then we would be able to discover that plant matter itself would be a perfect substitute. Think about it, they can absorb water, heat and are rather aesthetic. Now, let’s go a step further, and create a green rooftop by covering the surface of our roof with plant matter. Green rooftops can twice as long as traditional rooftops, absorb harmful UV radiation, and provide far superior cooling for hot summer days. There are two types of green rooftops: intensive and extensive. Intensive roofs contain far more developed vegetation, while extensive units are lighter and less complex. A most stalwart example of a green rooftop is the Chicago City Hall (pictured), which combines both types of roofing

• Engineering
• Other-science