Greening the city

London, New York, Paris… across the world there has long been a recognition that cities come with their own micro-climate. Listen to late autumn or winter weather forecasts for example and warnings of frost and low temperatures will generally be modified for country and urban areas.

Managing that micro-climate can be a challenge for planners as they seek to deliver a good environment for people to live and work in. One of the weapons which is increasingly coming to the fore is an attention to greening the urban landscape. And one of the easiest ‘fixes’ is to look positively at the installation of green roofs. So much so that a UK report in 2017 revealed a year on year increase of 17% in the demand for green roofs.

Why green roofs? Take air quality for example, a perennial problem in built-up areas. A study in 2008 concluded that in Chicago alone 2046.89 metric tons of pollutants could be removed from the atmosphere each year simply by greening the roofs. Or how about the problem of water run-off? Green roofs have been shown to hold water and then release it gradually, helping to mitigate the effects of heavy rainfall on drainage.

These aren’t the only benefits which come from installing green roofs. Apart from providing good insulation, eco-roofs also benefit bio-diversity and they look good as well. So it’s not surprising that one new-build project in our own city of Truro opted for a green roof.

The design called for a sedum roof, overlaying a Danosa mechanically fixed waterproofing system. Suitable for a range of roofing solutions including on metal profiled, timber and concrete decks, the Danosa system has been developed to be durable, long lasting and have good weatherproofing properties. Not only that the product is lightweight and fast to install. Danosa mechanically fixed waterproofing systems make ideal platforms for living roofs but they can also stand alone or receive a paving or ballast finish.

It doesn’t matter if you live in an urban landscape such as Truro with the vast beauty of Cornwall on your doorstep or in an urban metropolis such as Chicago; green roofs can be a viable option for private and public buildings alike.