Our beach house project in Montecito, California is moving along and we are in the stage of beginning installation of our green roof. A "green roof" is a living system of plants installed over an insulation system which can be added to relatively-flat roofs. These roofs lower ambient heat in cities, filter and control storm water runoff, insulate the building below, and add aesthetic qualities to otherwise solely utilitarian areas.
Our Green Roof Plans
Together with Earthform Design team and LiveRoof, we have drawn up plans for our particular roof, covering two surfaces of our current project. Not only does this roof have many obvious aesthetic benefits but the environmental benefits amount to a very high LEED certification as well. Because we are shooting for the highest possible rating of LEED certification, Platinum, this is an obvious selection for a portion of our roof. Solar panels will occupy other rooftop spaces.
Environmental benefits include heat mitigation, noise abatement, water conservation and reduction of storm water runoff (Heal the Ocean will be happy about this). Green roofs also help recreate habitat for butterflies, insects and songbirds. Succulent plant designs are great for areas with high fire dangers as they reduce the risk of fire.
John took a drive up the coast with the landscape architects at Earthform Design to the Native Suns Nursery, to select already- grown components of LiveRoof specifically for our project. We had the benefit of doing that because we are so close to Santa Maria. Not only does being local to this nursery make this process more sustainable it also gave us the opportunity to hand- select more mature modules. Native Sons is the regional grower for the LiveRoof modular green roof system. LiveRoof is the first pre-vegetated modular roof system developed by growers and specifically designed to grow plants on a rooftop environment. John chose 1 x 2 foot modules of grasses and succulents and said it was like picking plants for the garden, except that this garden just happened to be on a roof. Some stepping stones were mixed into the design for maintenance.
Here's an example of a green roof completed in Southern California near the beach using just grasses.
