RESILIENCE OF GREEN ROOFS
FOR AS LONG AS THE STRUCTURE
Resilience of Green Roofs
Vegetation placed on ground remote or ground disconnected locations is a century-old tradition for very different reasons and combined purposes. Because healthy and thriving plants are a part of the idea, we have to provide the foundation that nature is supported as best as possible. Additionally, nature on roofs must have the opportunity undergoing natural succession. Consequently, a managed natural succession increases resilience of Green Roofs. Further, it boosts their the capacity to respond to Climate Change by resisting damage and recovering quickly. Thus we are enhancing ALL the benefits we are seeking for.
Optimizing Resilience
In fact, optimizing only certain aspects of Green Roofs always affects the resilience of the entire system. For example, stormwater behavior can be easily "adjusted" in a Green Roof system. However, this adjustment also increases the risk of health and recover ability from specific plant communities. In short, increased stormwater retention and stormwater detention is very unnatural environment for succulent type of plants like Sedums. Because, in such cases the Air-to-Water Ratio reaches unsupportable peaks.
Conclusion
To summarize, when optimizing resilience on Green Roofs, the entire live supporting system for the vegetation has to be under consideration with the understanding of natural cycles. This is a knowledge is hard to find among Green Roof component manufacturers and suppliers. Typically, they flaunt with scientific test results about their green roof solutions. But we know that data are just snapshots of a product or system, certainly not reflect how this solutions work in 20 years. Green Roof Technology pays attention to sustainable natural cycles on a Green Roofs for the highest resilience.
Green Roofs Beyond the Present
Of course, we are proud of our European heritage with commons sense, decades of monitoring, fundamental education, and solid experience as the driver for the lasting success of Green Roofs. We feel the pulse of the plants and understand that healthy driven plants, plant diversities and plant communities on roofs increase the benefits as they progress, develop, and generate a natural ecosystem.
Creating natural ecosystems adopt to climate and weather changing conditions - naturally.
Climate Zones and Green Roofs
Green Roof Technology tailors Green Roof systems for any climate zone and as a matter of fact we have worked on projects in every climate zone including unique micro climate zones. Because we understand plant biology and soil biology.
Most importantly our focus is on a natural, healthy relationship between Roots ▪️ Shoots ▪️ Stems ▪️ and Leaves of plants. In short, promoting more roots equals more green and more resilience. Thus, this knowledge is incorporated in each system to reduce environmental stress on plants. Simultaneously it minimizes human interference (maintenance) and avoids wasting natural resources like water.
In fact, if we see the necessity of an irrigation system, we integrate artesian irrigation solutions. As a result, these reduce the water consumption by 40-80% comparing to frail sprinkler systems or labor intensive drip irrigation systems. Such solutions do not depend specialized irrigation engineers, electricity, Apps/internet with sensors. Although, these could be added for data collectors.
To summarize, we combine century old gardening techniques with natural man-refined materials to optimize Air-To-Water ratio, effective rooting depth, and regulative hydrology cycles (artesian aquifer). Of course, in arid climate zones it works with recycled water, grey water, and partially with salinated ground water. Moreover, all by avoid using man-made and structurally unstable sponging elements (poly foams, mineral wool or other fiber sponges) because these create unsuitable conditions (stress) on all desired plants for any type Green Roofs in any climate zone.