Green Roof Structures
Green roof structures bring the enriching and enlightening natural world closer to our everyday lives while helping to safeguard our environment and its fragile ecosystems. By introducing valuable pockets of diversity into new developments, green roof structures can secure additional BREEAM or Sustainable Housing Code value. Hundreds of plant and wildlife species can be established in a few square metres, reproducing varied ecosystems in areas where the habitat has been eroded by urbanisation.
External stores are ideally suited to support green roof systems, with the lower height and simpler construction reducing construction and ongoing maintenance costs. Maintenance requirements are minimal, with an annual visit to dead-head plants and remove self-sown weed species.
As well as reducing water run-off, green roofs help to reduce the amount of CO2 in the air, with 1m2 of green roof able to absorb 5 kg of CO2 yearly. As a perspective, 1m2 of green roof can absorb the same quantity of CO2 as a regular car would emit during a 80km drive. The green plants reduce the ‘urban heat island effect’, helping combat the effects of pollution, absorbing noise, trapping dust, recycling carbon dioxide, absorbing and breaking down many gaseous pollutants.
Such external structures often have a significant visual impact due to their size. Specifying a green roof can help stores blend with the landscape, and improve views from surrounding buildings to create a more pleasing environment.