TERRACE AND ROOF GARDEN

AND ITS ESTABLISHMENT

 Contents
• Terrace and Roof garden\Green roofs
• Types of green roofs
• Advantages of green roofs
• Factors affecting design of roof garden
• Design and construction
• Maintaince of hardscapes and softscapes
• Limitations
Terrace garden
Raised surface of ground constructed around a house
maximum height of terrace should be 45 cm

Roof garden
Green roofs, also called living or planted roofs,
are systems of living plants and vegetation installed on the roof of
an existing or new structure
concept originated in Europe
Intensive Green Roofs
 Intensive roofs typically have deeper soils

 better insulation.

 requires more technical expertise to design and install,

and more maintenance once built than extensive types.

Extensive Green Roofs :

 low weight, low capital cost and minimal maintenance.

 Soils (or growing medium) are very thin.

 They are easier to retrofit onto existing roofs but are

not usually designed for public accessibility.
Advantages of green roofs
• Runoff water
• Pollutant Removal
• Energy Use
• Heat Island Effect
• Sound Insulation
• Wildlife Habitat
• Food Production/Amenity
• Longevity/Maintenance
• Building incentives
 ISSUES IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF ROOF
GARDEN
• Families requirement and budget
• load carrying capacity of the building
• Occupancy and the size of the garden
• Handicapped accessibility and barrier free design
• Requirements for enclosures
• placement of plants
 Keeping heavy pots over beams
 Adequate depth of planting medium
 Place drip trays
 Use plastic pots
 Protecting plants from winds
 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
 SELECTION OF ROOF
 SELECTION OF THE PLANTS
 PREPARATION/SELECTION OF GROWING
MEDIA
 PREPARATION OF FLOOR AND INSULATION
 PLACEMENT OF HARDSCAPES
 MAINTENANCE OF ROOF GARDEN
 LIMITATIONS
 SELECTION OF ROOF
Suitable surfaces for roof garden

Garage

flat asphalt roofs

concrete deck

 Sheds
quite lightweight structures

to install additional support

 Extensions
 Planting on Garage roof Suitable roofs for construction

Surface of roof may be flat,

dome shaped, inclined undulated.

Extension used as garden

Grassy covering on inclined roof
Wild flowers grown on steep slope of roo
Plants for steep roof surfaces

Mosses and Lichens :

Mosses (non flowering plants)
Lichens (symbiotic relationship of algae and fungi)

Sedum plants : Hardy and drought tolerant

change colour under stress

Colourful display of Sedum plants Moss greened surface

SELECTION OF PLANTS
Fibrous root system
Hardy to withstand climate of open condition
prefer winter flowering plants
Density of planting
Self sown to come up in different seasons
Hardy climbers for barren walls
Trimmed into different shapes
LAWN
FLOWERING SHRUBS : Hamelia patens, Ervatamia divaricata dwarf
Bougainvillea , Lantana sp.
Foliage plants : Ficus panda,F.Benjamina,F.Elastica,Duranta sp.,Iresine,
Browalia speciosa,Tradescantia, Asparagus, Coleus, Croton, Diffenbachia,
Dracena, Paperomias, Philodendron, Rubber plant,

FLOWERING ANNUALS : Marigold, Pansy,Sweet peas,Phlox,ice

plant,Portulaca etc.
Pot plants : Fercarea,Pedilenthus,Sensevaria,Euphorbia
splendens,Yucca,Cacti, Brophyllum,Crotons etc.

Vegetables : Bringal, Broccoli, Chillies, Lettuce, Tomoto, etc.

SHADE LOVING PLANTS : Salvia,Cineraria,Scindapsus sp.,

Syngonium,Aglonema, Ferns etc.
Climbers : Vernonia,Pyrostegia venusta, C. splendons, C. ternatea,
Jasmine, Ficus repens, Clematis panniculata etc.
Trees : Bonsais of F. Religeosa, Pilkan, Narangi.
Fig: Roof garden with plants in trenches and overhead sprinklers
Fig :Roof garden showing swing, plant material in trenches
-
 PREPARATION AND SELECTION OF MEDIA
Properties:
 Light in weight

 Conserve moisture for longer time

 Free draining

 Ability to support plant

 Maintain nutrient status

 Free from insect/ disease infestations

 Free from toxic compounds

E.g.: peat moss, sphagnum moss, perlite, expanded

polysterene,vermiculite,mixture of garden earth, manure/burnt rice
husk and peat moss.
 PREPARATION OF FLOOR AND INSULATION

Plant material
Layer 6 Soils and Substrates

Layer 5 Drainage layer (20mm)

Moisture Blanket
Layer 4 (cardboards/old blankets)

Layer 3 Filter Sheet

Roof membrane
Layer 2 (Pond liner/300 μ damp proof polythene)

Waterproof layer
Layer 1 (LDPE 0.02mm)

Roof construction

DIFFERENT LAYERS ON ROOF FLOOR FOR CONSTRUCTING ROOF GARDEN

Soil mix Turf Shrubs, Small trees Medium trees
(50 % sand beds (12-15 ft) (15-30 ft)
based
Depth (mm) 100 200 500 800

Weight 120 240 600 960

(kg/m2)
Total depth 245 345 645 945
(mm)

Total weight 212 325 685 1045

(kg/m2)

Fytogreen Australia’s lightweight

roof garden system
COSTS
Research, design, and materials of the green roof system and
structural support are higher than a conventional roofing
system. Extensive systems can cost as little as $7 a sq ft,
though ranges tend to be $10-15 for extensive, and $15-25 per
sq ft for intensive systems
 Low cost roof gardens

Garden on roof with inbuilt trenches

and tiling on floor
 <Use of Wooden floor and railing
On roof top.

Portable furniture on roof top along

With inbuilt trenches for plants >
Vernonia elengifolia hanging from roof of a house
MAINTENANCE OF ROOF GARDEN
• Provide a deep container

• If erecting trellis or screens ensure that any fixings are well supported.
• Use of walls as fences for screening

• Placement of heavy containers on load bearing walls

• Chairs and benches be supported on hard surface

• Railings should be painted

• Protection to plants from adverse wheather conditions

• Lamp posts, lights be properly covered

• Avoid choking of drainage holes

• prefer mechanical control over insects and diseases

LIMITATIONS

 Root penetration : physical root penetration barrier.

 Roof Design & Construction : Design and plantings must allow easy
access to drainage outlets for inspection
and maintenance.
 Costs : much more then conventional roofs.
 Weight : may limit visit of number of people
 Aesthetics : require regular maintenence
 Fire Safety : vegetation could be of concern and may need to be
watered, mowed, regularly.
 Terrace garden
Outdoor living rooms during good weather and form a transition
from the outdoors to the indoors throughout the year.

Features of terrace garden

> Raised or sunken space of ground

Terraces enhance quality of living place
Act as our personal gardens
> Supported by retaining walls
> Slope of 1:60
 Sunken terrace gardening

 Below the ground level

 Requirement of retainng walls
 Sand or gravel is used as a base

 Raised terrace gardening

 Raised surface of ground
 Height of terrace 45 cm above general level
 Major portion may be paved with stones or tiles
 Supported by parapets supporting structures
Terrace garden on raised surface
 Raised terrace gardens

< wooden logs enclosing terrace

Perforated plastic mesh providing

Support to outer edge of terrace >

*
 < paved portion of terrace
designed with patches of grass

Iron railing enclosing terrace

on raised surface >

Source:
* Houses in front of CFC school *
 PLAN OF TERRACE GARDEN

• screen off parts of the outside areas

• Maintain the slope of the terrace

• Plan a hedge to limit a boundary of terrace

• Inbuilt trenches perimeter above terrace - for hanging baskets

• Plant some hardy bush alongside wall or keep pot plants

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References
Books:
 Arora JS Introductory ornamental horticulture. The terrace garden.chap:26
pp: 220-22
 Weddle AE techniques of landscape architecture pp:138-39

 George Acquaah. HORTICULTURE principles and practices (2nd ed.)

growing house plants pp367-73.
Articles:
 How green is my terrace-Article by Satish Narula

 Green places in small spaces –Article by Minna zutishi (HT 25 feb 07)

 energise your home positively- Article by Renu Mathur (Real Estate –The
Tribune)
 lets deal with barren side wall Article Satish Narula -do- 13 oct 05

 Green buildings Article by Devendra Malik -do- 5 may 07

Inter net source:
 Greenroofs.com

 ELT Easy Green GreenRoof Systems

 Green Roof Plants

 Roofscapes

 Green Roof Solutions

 Green Roof Tops

 BBC Gardening