Intensive Versus Extensive Green Roof

A green roof comes in two varieties.

Intensive versus extensive green roof. Green roofs with more than 6 inches of media are considered intensive. A 2006 study by the university of michigan comparing costs of conventional and green roofs showed that on average installing a green roof costs about 22 00 sq. An extensive green roof is characterized by a thinner layer of soil and smaller plants. It also allows for a formal garden to be installed with paths grass lawn and flowers or pot plants.

Extensive green roofs generally weigh between 12 50 pounds per foot versus 10 12 pounds foot for a conventional roof and 80 150 pounds foot for an intensive green roof not including snow. If you increase that planting depth by a foot or two though a whole new realm of possibility opens up. Gardening is the last bastion of the patient as nature cannot be hurried. Typically these roofs will have more soil and some small shrubs as well as the low growing wildflowers and sedums found on an extensive roof.

Typically extensive green roofs strive for environmental benefits cooling and stormwater management prime among them over human amenity space. Extensive green roof systems extensive systems are simpler and lighter weight than intensive systems. Intensive includes a thick layer of soil that can support large vegetation such as small trees. The sides of the roof may also need to be built up to accommodate the additional layers.

Due to their light weight and low profile they require less structural support and can be used on roofs with a slope of 30 b0 and higher. Extensive or intensive both types can be created on sloped green roofs and solar green roof s click on text to learn. 8 to 20 per square foot. The plants that are mostly used on extensively planted roofs include grasses mosses herbs and succulents.

15 to 50 per square foot. A semi intensive green roof can give rise to a richer ecology with more diverse plant and animal species. Their depth can range up to 2 feet or more depending on the weight constraints of the roof. Green roof technology has the expertise to realize the impossible and the incredible if you can dream it we can create it and keep in mind.

Intensive planting there are two ways of planting a roof. For a conventional roof.