Green Gateway offers a complete service to create Green Roofs and Green Walls for your home, business or project. Our team covers green roof and wall design, integrated design, plant species recommendations, assembly, installation and ongoing maintenance. Green Gateway endeavors to use recycled and recyclable products, low embodied energy, ecologically sound practices, and forest stewardship timbers.
What is a Green Roof?
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage, and irrigation systems. There are two fundamental types of green roofs: Intensive roofs, commonly referred to as roof gardens, which have a deep substrate mix usually over 15cm and, depending on the structural integrity of the building, up to meters thick. Intensive green roofs can support a wide variety of plants including trees but are heavier and require more maintenance.
Extensive roofs, which are covered in a light layer of substrate mix, from between 5cm and 15cm deep with hardy drought tolerant vegetation, are light weight and cost effective.
In all cases in Australia it is recommended that a reticulation system be installed. Rain water can be captured and recycled through the system.
Anatomy of a Green Roof
- Roof deck, insulation, waterproofing
- Protection layer
- Drainage, water retention layer
- Filter fabric layer
- Substrate media growing mix
- Plants vegetation
Why a Green Roof?
There are many benefits of having plants on a roof.
Increase buildings’ green star rating, thermal insulation, sound insulation, property value, regenerate and encourage biodiversity, habitat for urban wildlife, solar pv performance, areas for food production, carbon credits, air quality, horticultural therapy, the “wow” factor and point of difference, marketing, energy efficiency, increased roof life, beautification, amenity value, educational opportunities.
Reduce energy costs, cost of heating and cooling, carbon emissions, storm water runoff, building foot print and heat island effect.
What is a Green Wall?
There are typically two types of Green Walls
Green Facades which essentially have the plant roots at the bottom and the plant or vine are trained and grow up and along a system of support. Essentially covering and insulating the building with vegetation.
Vertical Garden which has the plants growing on a wall in a system that allows root growth in either hydroponic or soil blended substrate mixtures that are anchored to the wall and not necessarily part of the wall structure.
Benefits of Green Walls
Increase air quality and purification, human wellbeing, biodiversity and habitat, annual carbon offset, usable area for food production, buildings acoustic and thermal insulation, aesthetics and property value.
Decrease carbon emissions, energy costs and fossil fuel usage, heat island effect, electromagnetic pollution, stress levels, storm water runoff.
