On Thursday November 21st 2013, an evolving green roof collapsed over top a Latvian supermarket. The market, open to the public at the time, was under construction because of a green roof and recreation area being installed for an adjacent residential building. The rooftop that buckled only covered one area of the market, however fifty-four people have been pronounced dead since Saturday and many more hospitalized.
The cause, although not completely pinpointed has been blamed on the overall green roof construction. The additional weight on the structure by the various green roof materials and growing media could have been exacerbated by the recent rain events. A current investigation is underway to determine if proper precautions and guidelines were followed throughout the planning and construction processes.
By: Samantha Yurek
