Construction crew laying the special water proof foundation for green roof landscaping.
Green, leafy shrubs and flowers are usually admired while walking through gardens. But if a new sustainable trend has its way, the beauty of gardens will take to the skies. Green roof landscaping, an impressive new trend sprouting up in ecofriendly real estate developments, is providing residents of these green homes with a garden in the sky that not only looks magical, but has numerous ecological benefits to the surrounding nature.
What Is Green Roof Landscaping?
Eye-catching green roofing is characterized by a specially constructed roof that supports plant life. The hallmark of these remarkable rooftop gardens is the minimal maintenance required thanks to hardy, drought-resistant plants and
A special mixture of soil is placed on the roof and then a variety of native Costa Rican landscaping is planted.
utilization of annual rainwater to keep them growing. Green roof landscaping is traditionally done on a flat roof to keep the plants in place during rainy season and to reduce the amount of maintenance required, although newer technology has now enabled green roofing to have a slight slope as well (source: ThisOldHouse.com).
What Are the Benefits of Green Roof Landscaping?
Green roof landscaping is not only visually impressive, it also plays a key role in improving the environment. The lush native greenery covering the roof reduces storm-water runoff that would have likely polluted nearby rivers and streams. In a delicate ecosystem like Costa Rica, reducing the negative environmental impacts of storm water runoff goes a long way toward preserving the country’s beauty and pristine wilderness (source: EPA). Green roofs not only help keep surrounding rivers and lakes clean, they also minimize a housing development’s impact on the local bird population. Every building in Kalia will be covered in natural Costa Rica vegetation to reduce the community’s impact on natural bird life in the area. Green roofing also helps purify the surrounding air by absorbing pollutants and creating more oxygen in the air for cleaner breathing.
This landscaped roof on one of Kalia's model homes in Costa Rica will grow into a lush green roof cover in only a few short weeks.
The other tremendous benefit of green roofing is its ability to insulate a home against weather conditions. Green roof landscaping stays ten to twenty degrees cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, reducing the use of energy to power air conditioners and heaters, and subsequently lowering the power bills for the resident. Sustainable, stylish, and cost-effective – precisely why Kalia has chosen to create green roof landscaping for all the homes in in each of its stunning new Costa Rica luxury ecological resort communities.
Greek Treasury Green Roof saves 5,630 euros in energy bills in one year.
The “green roof” created on the roof the economy and finance ministry building in Syntagma Square has resulted in savings of 5,630 euros a year, the ministry announced on Tuesday. The savings arise from a reduction in power used for cooling, amounting to 3,600 euros a year, and a reduction in fuel used for heating by 2,030 euros a year.
The green roof was created in July 2008 and covers about 650 square metres, or roughly half the surface at the top of the building.
Measurements carried out by the applied thermodynamics laboratory at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) mechanical engineering department have shown that the difference in temperature between the areas of the roof with plants and those without are 18C, with the former reaching 37C and the latter 55C, respectively.
The measurements also confirmed that the energy savings from the planting amount to 9.6 percent for cooling and 4.4 percent for heating. For the top floor of the building, especially, the energy costs for cooling can be more than halved.
The finance ministry noted that the project was initiated to help improve the environment in central Athens, save energy and reduce the buildings operating costs, as well as acting as a model that might encourage initiatives by other private and public organisations.
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