Where Did Green Roofs Start

The modern trend started when green roofs were developed in germany in the 1960s and has since spread to many countries.

Where did green roofs start.

Though there is no archeological evidence of the gardens ancient greek roman and assyrian texts refer to the gardens implying that the idea of the green roof has always been planted firmly in the collective mind. The origins of green roofs began thousands of years ago. Today it is estimated that about 10 of all german roofs have been greened. First techniques in western culture copper and lead roofing originated in ancient rome and was used in europe through the middle ages.

Latrobe used sheet iron to replace the roof on princeton s nassau hall which had been gutted by fire in 1802. The willis faber and dumas headquarters in england which utilized a grass roof day lighted atrium and mirrored windows. They were considered as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world were constructed around 500 b c. They were built over arched stone beams and waterproofed with layers of reeds and thick tar.

A couple of notable buildings constructed during the seventies which utilized concepts of green design are. The company has designed and installed a wide range of residential and commercial rooftop gardens. In america slate roofs did appear in the 1600s but the first quarry did not open until 1785. The popularization of green roofs began in the early 1970s in germany when the first green roof systems were developed and marketed on a large scale says paul kephart president of rana creek monterey california.

They act as a kind of trap for storm water absorbing 50 to 80 per cent of rainfall and cooling the excess before it washes into the storm drain system. That opening allowed it to be available to general consumers. From the late 1970s to the mid 1980s the modern green roof was developed in germany differing from historic vegetation on structure efforts and rooftop gardens in that extensive green roofs perform a wide variety of functions efficiently and reliably in a very thin profile. Tin roofs were painted as additional rust protection usually with an iron oxide red paint or sometimes a pale green to imitate weathered copper.

The method for corrugating iron was originally patented in england in 1829. However green roofs or sod roofs in northern scandinavia have been around for centuries. The green roof acts as a bio filter basically as a big sponge that sucks up dirt and pollution in the air. The gregory bateson building in california which used energy sensitive photovoltaic solar cells 9 under floor rock store cooling systems and area climate control devices 10.

Plants and trees were then planted. The first record of green roofing appeared four thousand years ago in the hanging gardens of babylon one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. At his mill morris produced the roof of his own philadelphia mansion which he started in 1794. The architect benjamin h.

Green roofs transform the tops of houses and businesses into urban gardens.