Rather than having clay tiles in a scale-like formation for their roof, home and building owners can highly consider switching to a popular, eco-friendly alternative: the grass roof. The grass roof is either partially or entirely covered with vegetation or, in this case, grass that is growing on a medium, and planted over a waterproof membrane. They look simply amazing, and are able to provide numerous different types of benefits to residential and commercial buildings.
Houses with turf roofs on the island of Heimaey, Iceland. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A grass roof is considered one of the more environmentally-friendly alternatives as there are many benefits associated with its structure. For one, the grass roof is able to absorb rainwater, and put it to a useful purpose. The rainwater becomes a necessity for the grass, and will aid in its development, growth and survival. The grass becomes a habiat for many wildlife, and will be able to help improve the air condition and quality in the area and lower urban air temperature. The grass roof also acts as an amazing insulation that will help maintain and regulate the temperature within the building. This will help lower the cost of energy bills during all seasons.
In addition to economic benefits, there are many financial benefits to installing this type of roof as well. For one, the grass and the structure of the roof is able to increase the life span of the roof dramatically, and it will also increase the value of the building when listed on the real estate market. Since it has insulating properties as mentioned before, it helps lower energy bills significantly by cooling the building during the warmer seasons, and keeping the energy and warmth within the building during the cooler seasons. Installing and maintaining a grass roof is not as costly as most people have mentioned, and the financial benefits outweigh the cost.
houses with grass on the roof, iceland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There are numerous different types of grass roofs that are able to provide different types of effects for a home. There are intensive homes that have more vegetation, and extensive ones with less. Home and building owners can personalize the entire look of their roof by choosing different types of vegetation to match the grass. Some have chosen to even attempt to grow small shrubs and trees on the building in order to be able to provide a geener environment.
In terms of the appearance of the grass roof, many building owners will claim that the grass roof will be able to appease to the public. Many apartment renters are interested in being able to go up to the grass roof and have their own plot for gardening purposes. Other buildings will take advantage of the grass roof and create a park environment that will allow renters and office owners to enjoy during their day.
There are many benefits to grass roofs, and they are amazing for the environment making them one of the most recommended alternatives on the market recently. They are not that hard to maintain, able to improve the environment and increase the lifespan of a roof along with the building’s value.
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