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GREEN ROOF
 A ‘Green Roof’ is a roof that is partially
or completely covered with vegetation
and soil, planted over waterproofing
membrane. A green roof moderates the
heat flowing through the roof. This
helps to reduce temperature
fluctuations caused by solar radiation.
The additional thickness of the growing
medium provides extra thermal
insulation. The green cover lowers
ambient temperatures through
evapotranspiration. Green roofs retain
moisture from rainwater further
cooling the roof surface. Green roofs or roof gardens can also help to reduce heat loads in a
building. Green roofs retain rainfall, alleviate pressure on sewer systems, protect roofing
membranes, reduce noise, and filter pollutants while reducing energy consumption. If widely
used green roofs can also reduce the problem of urban heat island which would further
reduce the energy consumption in urban areas.
 Green roof systems typically comprise of a lightweight growing medium, plants, and a root
repellent layer in addition to the regular components of a roof. However, green roofs may
require regular maintenance and involve high first costs.
Green Roof System Elements
Green roofs consist of both horticultural
elements and traditional roofing
components. There are three distinct layers
in a green roof from the bottom: the
structural layer, the growing medium
(which may or may not include soil) and the
vegetative layer (components selected as
per particular application).

1. STRUCTURAL LAYER
This layer consists of the roof deck with
waterproofing and insulation; the
protection layer to contain the roots and growing medium, while allowing water penetration; a
drainage layer and retention layer; a root repellent filter layer (made up of filter mats to protect the
growth media from moving); along with the waterproofing membrane.
a) Roof Deck, Waterproofing and Insulation
Roof deck is the most important layer on a green roof, which can be concrete, wood, metal, plastic,
gypsum or composite as it determines whether the structure is capable of taking the load of the
green roof. Buildings with concrete decks are excellent contenders for green roofs as they can take
the additional weight of the green roofs and do not require extra support which is otherwise for

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AN ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.

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waterproofing a metal deck. Waterproofing’s primary purpose is to keep the unwanted moisture
from rain and condensation away from the structure below. The waterproofing membrane is the
primary protective element of the slab and is typically below all the components of a green roof
system. There are three major waterproofing types for roofs: built up membrane, single ply
membrane and fluid applied membrane

Insulation: green roof systems add mass and insulation over the structural decking, but cannot
replace the insulation because their insulating properties depend upon depth and moisture content
of growing medium

b) Protection Layer
As green roofs contain living and growing materials, a protection layer and a root barrier are one of
the most important elements of the assembly. As roots grow they can penetrate the waterproofing
membrane and create leak locations. The root barrier is placed above the membrane ensures that
no roots pass through and harm the membrane.
c) Drainage and Retention Layer
A drainage course allows moisture to move laterally through the green roof system. It prevents
oversaturation, ensures root ventilation and provides additional space for the roots to grow. It is a
porous, continuous layer over the entire roof surface just above the concrete slab. As moisture is
essential for successful plant propagation, a moisture retention layer retains or stores moisture for
plant growth. It is an absorptive mat and which is typically located above the drainage layer or above
the aeration layer.
d) Root Permeable Filter Layer
The filter layer separates the growing medium from the drainage layer and protects the medium
from shifting and washing away. This layer restricts the flow of fine soil particles and other
contaminants while allowing water to pass through freely to avoid clogging. They are often made of
tightly woven fabric and are in the form of filter cloth or mats
2.GROWING MEDIUM: The growing media in a green roof should have a balance between good
moisture retention capacity and free draining properties of traditional soil. It should absorb and
supply nutrients and retain its volume over time to encourage plant growth. Traditionally, well
drained sandy loam was used as the growing medium for a green roof. Its weight and ability to clog
drainage layers and fabric lead to use of organic matter as a growing media. Lighter less rich and
more porous mixes than soil reduce weight of the growing medium and save cost of structural
support. There are four factors that influence the suitability of a growth media: water holding
capacity, degree of drainage, fertility for vegetation and density of the growing media. The growing
media should also be able to resist heat and other factors that damage normal roof.

3.VEGETATIVE LAYER: The selection of appropriate plants is essential to both the aesthetic and
environmental function of the green roof. There are various planting propagation methods like pre-
cultivated mats, modular systems, plugs, cuttings and seeds, all of which vary by cost and type of
coverage desired. Selection of plants requires consideration as traditional rules for ground level
plant selection do not work on green roofs due to the environmental and geographical location.
Microclimate conditions on the roof like sun, shade and wind patterns influence the growth of plants
on the rooftop. Thus, plant variety needs to be tougher and less nutrient reliant than ones on the
ground. Plants cool the air around the rooftop through evapotranspiration and shading from the
plant cover. Evapotranspiration is the sum effect of evaporation and plant transpiration from the
surface of the vegetation that results in the cooling of the surface as water evaporates from it.
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AN ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.
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COOL ROOF

 A cool roof reflects most of the incident sunlight

and emits some of the absorbed radiation back
into the atmosphere, instead of passing the heat
on to the building below. As a result, the roof
stays cooler – maintains a lower surface
temperature – keeping the building below at a
cooler and more constant temperature. Cool
roofs are known to stay 10 to 16 Celsius cooler
than a normal roof under a hot summer sun. This
greatly reduces heat gain inside the building and
the cooling load that needs to be met by the
HVAC system. The term, ‘cool roof’ refers to the
outer layer or exterior surface of the roof which
acts as the key reflective surface. These roofs
have a higher solar reflectance than a typical
roof surface. The term ‘cool roof’
encompasses an extensive array of roof types, colors, textures, paints, coatings, and slope
applications.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AN ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.

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Reflectance, Absorptance, and Emissivity

The two primary thermal properties that characterize roofs are

solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Surfaces with low solar
reflectance, absorb a high fraction of the incoming solar energy. A
fraction of this absorbed energy is conducted into ground and
buildings, a fraction is convected to the ambient air, and a fraction
(termed emissivity) is radiated back to the sky. For equivalent
conditions, the lower the emissivity of a surface, the higher will be
its steady-state temperature. Surfaces with low emissivity cannot
effectively radiate to the sky and, therefore, get hot.
Thermal Emittance or Emissivity
Thermal Emittance or Emissivity of a material is the ratio of energy
radiated by a particular material to energy radiated by a black body at the same temperature. It is a measure
of a material’s ability to radiate the absorbed energy. A true black body would have an e = 1 while any real
object would have e <1. Emissivity is a dimensionless quantity (does not have units). In general, the duller
and blacker a material is, the closer it’s emissivity is to 1. The more reflective a material is, the lower its
emissivity. The emissivity of building material, unlike reflectance, is usually measured in the far infrared part
of the spectrum. (ECBC Envelope for Warm & Humid Climate)
Solar Reflectance and Absorptance: Solar reflectance is the fraction of solar radiation reflected by a roof.
The complement of reflectance is absorptance; whatever radiant energy incident on a surface that is not
reflected is absorbed in the roof. The reflectance and absorptance of building materials are usually measured
across the solar spectrum, since these are exposed to that range of wavelength. Reflectance is measured on
a scale of 0 to 1, with 0 being a perfect absorber and 1 being a perfect reflector. Absorptance is also rated
from 0 to 1, and can be calculated from the relation: Reflectance + Absorptance = 1. (ECBC Envelope for
Warm & Humid Climate)
Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) : The Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) is a measure of the solar reflectance and
emissivity of materials that can be used as an indicator of how hot they are likely to become when solar
radiation is incident on their surface. The lower the SRI, the hotter a material is likely to become in the
sunshine.
Cool roofs can be selected from a wide variety of materials and colors, and can be advantageously applied to
almost any building or roof type, and in most locations. Conventional materials for standard roofing are now
available with their cool roof counterparts. The table below lists the SRI for common roofing materials. White
roofs are characterized by a high SRI.
BENEFITS: Cool roofs are very effective in reducing the summer electricity use with minimal impact on winter
heating. In general, savings in annual net utility costs can be expected for most buildings. Research has shown
that cool roofs also help increase the life expectancy of roofing systems because extreme cycles of heating
and cooling tend to wear out materials as they expand and contract with the temperature. Cool roofs on the
other hand, keep the roof a more constant temperature and therefore, tend to last longer. While reducing
ambient air temperatures, cool roofs also improve air quality by curtailing or eliminating smog formation.
Smog is created by photochemical reactions of air pollutants – higher temperatures provide impetus to these
reactions. Improved air quality also results in a reduction in heat-related and smog-related health issues,
including heat stroke and asthma.
Studies show that in warm and hot climates cool roofs perform well in meeting energy efficiency, cost-
effectiveness, and sustainability. Cool Roofs reduce annual air conditioning energy use of a single-story
building by up to 15%. They cool interior spaces in buildings that do not have air conditioning, making
occupants more comfortable. Cool Roofs reduce carbon emissions by lowering the need for fossil-fuel
generated electricity to run air conditioners and they potentially slow global warming by cooling the
atmosphere.
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AN ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.