Today you can plant any roof, as they say, there would be a desire. But the greatest interest is caused by flat roofs with the possibility to arrange an oasis of freshness on them and a paradise for rest, drowning in greenery. What is a roof garden and what is its peculiarity, we will consider below.
Regardless of the purpose of the building, on the roof of any building you can break a small garden, whether it's a private cottage, a city apartment with access to the roof, a cafe, a restaurant or an office building. The main condition is the presence of a solid foundation and the proper installation of a special roof.
It can be said that urban residents are even more in need of such green spaces than the inhabitants of country houses. In a densely populated metropolis, there is less space for natural plantations and parks, but you want to breathe clean air to everyone! An example for us can be Germany - a country where the most widespread greening of roofs. Currently, a roof garden has been added to the project of almost every new building. But this is not only a good view of the roof, but also transferred to the heavenly part of the ecosystem.
Greening roofs of houses Photo
Garden on roof of house
Roof landscaping: advantages of
The advantages of roof gardens will have to be discussed for a long time, since there are many benefits of such gardening.
- The arrangement of this type of roof increases the operational area of the building, after all, after the installation of a specially designed roof and landscaping of the terrain, we are able to equip here a place for a comfortable and pleasant rest.
- Such roofs reduce air pollution and increase the amount of oxygen. And greenery is able to hold about a fourth of the dust and harmful substances contained in the air.
- Due to the thermal insulation properties of the special roof and soil, the roof heating in summer, and hence the building as a whole, is reduced, and in winter, on the contrary, heat accumulates inside the building and does not go outside. Thus, significant savings in resources are achieved - the costs for heating and air conditioning of premises are reduced. Within the whole city, a large concentration of green plantations on the roofs of buildings can even reduce the temperature in summer heat.
- "Green roof" not only has thermal insulation properties, but also reduces the noise level, which in the city, as a rule, is quite appreciable.
- In addition, it absorbs some of the precipitation, preventing them from falling to the ground and mixing with wastewater.
- The roof garden extends its service life, as it protects from the adverse effects of weather conditions. It is not exposed to heat, frost, rain or snow, which is why it lasts longer.
- And, in the end, green roofs always ennoble the building, being its real decoration.
Green areas on the roof of the building
Garden on the roof of the multi-storey house
Roof garden Photo
Types of gardens on the roof
Roofs can be partially or completely planted with greenery, because they are divided into two types of landscaping: extensive and intensive.
The extensive greening of the roofs of buildings is characterized by the use of light soil with a thickness of only 5-15cm. On such soil grow unpretentious plants that require care only at first after planting, then care for them, including watering, is reduced to a minimum. This kind of gardening is most often a carpet of evergreen plants, which is used on the roofs of non-residential buildings, garages, production warehouses, etc. Moreover, it is possible to organize a lawn both on flat roofs and on pitched roofs( the good weight of the roof does not exceed 15 kg per 1 sq. M.), And no additional strengthening of the foundation of the building is required.
Green areas and roofing
Greening the roof of the house
Greening the roof with our own hands
Intensive landscaping provides for the cultivation of any plants that grow on the ground, including trees. Imagine how strong the roof should be with the foundation of the building in order to withstand the weight of valuable trees, as well as a layer of soil up to 80cm, drainage and sometimes even ponds. Loads on the construction in this case will be considerable, sometimes reaching 800-900kg per 1 sq. M.
Plants and trees on the roof of the building
Roof garden arrangement
Planting trees on the roof of the
How the roof gardens of the
are designed. To break down the garden on the roof of the house, a so-called inversion roof is used that looks like a layered pie. Let's see what structure it has.
First, we'll figure it out with a reason. Overlap requirements are raised: it is better if it is reinforced concrete slabs capable of withstanding heavy loads. Also, the possibility of a garden device on the roof made by the method of cast-in-place casting is not ruled out.
Roof landscaping planning
Landscaping on the roof of the
Regardless of whether you pour cement slabs on the slabs or not, they should be protected from moisture penetration. And what better to save from the omnipresent moisture, how not a full-fledged waterproofing?
As the waterproofing material, the most commonly used are surfaced rolled bitumen-polymer materials, the bottom layer of which is fixed to the base mechanically, and the top layer is fused.
The heat-insulating layer is laid above it, in simple words, it is a heater. Most often, these are extruded polystyrene plates that are laid tight to each other, but they are not fixed in any way( otherwise there is a chance to damage the waterproofing), in extreme cases, EPS boards can be combined with glue, but this is not necessary.
Next comes the drainage, which "hides" between two layers of material called geotextiles - it is a roll material that is laid in one layer, without folds, and the strips are lapped one on top of the other. As a drain, use a layer of pebbles or gravel with a fraction of 15-30mm and a thickness of 50mm.
On top of this pie, you can pour in the soil and plant plants, trees. Among the trees are popular coniferous and undersized fruit and ornamental trees. As in the usual garden, you can plant lawns, flower beds, make them live curbs or small hedges, which we have already talked about here, as well as create tracks and even build a small pond. If you do not know which plants to choose, read our article on balcony colors, where you can find ideas suitable for you.
Trees, bushes and lawns on the roof of the house
Beautiful landscaping of the roofs of houses
Just like in the arrangement of the terrace, on the roof you can put chaise lounges, chairs, hammocks, tables and other garden furniture. Pergolas for climbing plants, awnings and awnings are also useful here.
Plants on the roof photo
Green plantings on the roofs of houses
Roof garden Photo
It's clear that you will hardly be able to break the roof garden yourself, although with a competent approach, such an outcome of events is possible. Here the main thing is to take into account all the loads on the roof and correctly carry out the laying of the inversion roof, otherwise problems with the integrity of the roof can not be avoided.
