2011年2月7日星期一

Intensive Living Roofs: The Utmost in Green Living

By Jane Simpson


If you seek the utmost in a living roof, then start thinking about an intensive green roof. Not only can you enjoy the all round pleasures of a rooftop garden, but you can also employ it as a supplemental living area. The functions for intensive rooftop gardens are only constrained by your imagination, and many home owners are finding they can develop new, all-natural places of peace, places for connecting with Mother Nature herself, areas to grow plants, and places to socialize and work.

Your intensive green roof may have an organic herb garden, or an expanse of wildflowers. Include a bench with some accents like ponds or fountains. Even toss in a shrub or two connected by slate walkways and outlined by low stone walls. These roof level paradises feature turf, annual and perennial plants, bushes, trees and herb gardens. Gazebos, benches, dining areas and greenhouses can be popular upgrades.

Intensive rooftop gardens match the meaning of the phrase: they are demanding in design, building and price tag. They are not for every roof and structural issues to consider top the list when considering fitting one. Intensive eco roofs are being increasingly found on office buildings, hotels and residence buildings and are also appearing on higher end single family homes.

With substrate depth of 8 inches to more than four feet, intensive eco roofs support most any species of plant. They normally are found on flat rooftops or roofs with shallow inclines which can be constructed from cement. Given that the growing media, the plants and the appropriate parts can weigh as much as 150 lbs per sq. ft., the building frequently must be created for this type of rooftop garden. Nevertheless, for the suitable style of structure it is also quite conceivable to retrofit an built-in-place structure that's got a cement patio, or adequate roof reinforcement, with an intensive eco roof.

Intensive eco roofs are undoubtedly not recommended for the faint of heart, and are not appropriate for buildings that don't have robust structural support. But, where suitable, they are introducing completely new living spaces where people can commune with the natural world.




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