Green Roof

We've also been thinking about a green roof. The design meeting in New York a few weeks ago really liked the idea.

What is a green roof? It's essentially a roof with several inches of light weight growing medium in which hardy plants live providing protection to the roof and insulation from temperature swings. The roof structure has to be stronger to support the additional weight, but not so much that it would increase the cost of the structure significantly. A green roof captures a lot of the moisture that falls on it, reducing the runoff from the roof which help keep the walls of the building dry. This is really important in straw bale construction. Some cities, mostly in Germany and Japan, are incenting green roof construction because it so dramatically reduces runoff which has become a serious issue. A green roof would also look pretty interesting. Some people use goats to keep it tidy.