1 extensive vegetative roofs which are 6 inches or shallower and are frequently designed to satisfy specific engineering and performance goals and 2 intensive vegetative roofs which may become quite deep and merge into more familiar on structure plaza landscapes with promenades lawn large perennial plants and trees.
Intensive roof design.
This system supports everything from small personal home gardens to full scale public parks.
Vegetative roofs are divided into two categories.
Intensive style green roofs are the most detailed and strongest of them all.
A typical growing medium depth of an intensive green roof is 6 inches or more.
Plant selection and design greatly affects the maintenance required for the upkeep of these roofs.
Intensive roof design intensive roof construction requires roof drains that will allow sufficient drainage yet protect the integrity of the growth media and vegetation.
Rooftop garden or intensive vegetative green roofs are typically designed as usable spaces made up of lawn perennials bushes and trees.
Extensive green roof an extensive green roof system is characterized of its vegetation ranging from sedums to small grasses herbs and flowering herbaceous plants which need little maintenance and no permanent irrigation system.
Once the plants are installed and the soil is moist these rooftop green spaces can weigh as much as 150 pounds per square foot.
The planting medium in intensive green roofs starts at 6 inches although you will see some wiggle room in various definitions and really elaborate designs may exceed a couple feed.
Greengrid 6 inch or 8 inch option.
The variety of plants possible is numerous including sod grass lawns perennial and annual flowers shrubs and even small trees.
An intensive green roof often contains more soil for the production of large roots a wider root barrier and more.
Intensive green roofs require the deepest soil and have the greatest impact on the structural design but they also accommodate all types of plantings including large shrubs and trees.
Intensive systems allow the designer to create a park like setting so they are the best option for roof gardens that will be occupied.
The growing medium depth for an extensive green roof system is typically 6 inches or less.
Intensive designs usually consist of a mixture of hard and soft landscaping and incorporate plants that require regular maintenance such as watering fertilizing and mowing.
By allowing the designer to create a setting of an urban park on a building s roof an intensive green roof design comes with a unique value proposition.
This style of green roof is capable of supporting 82 150 pounds of vegetation per square foot.
The roof drain must allow for sub surface drainage while providing aesthetically pleasing grates and domes.
With that in mind the real variable in the weight is the depth of planting material.