The latest trends in sustainable building practices continue to generate enormous interest and enthusiasm among architects, landscape designers and urban authorities. One of them is the implementation of green roofs.
A plant cover uses plants to improve the function of the roof as well as its appearance.
They distinguish between intensive, semi-intensive and extensive covers. This last type is what is considered an ecological tool in construction. In Germany, for example, where plant cover cover is more widespread, more than 80% are extensive. They are the most interesting from an economic and ecological point of view.
The guidelines set by the FLL (acronym of the German Society for Landscape Research, Development and Construction) cover all phases and materials to be taken into account for the construction of green roofs. They are universally respected by all specialists in the field.
Benefits of plant cover
Although the roofs have a much better appearance than traditional roofs, most are built for reasons beyond aesthetics. Potential benefits include:
Examples of green roofs in Andalusia
Unfortunately, despite the widespread trend in other countries such as Germany, cases of buildings that have added to the benefits of a green roof are counted.
In Andalusia, the Sevillano Lagoh shopping center stands out, promoted by the Lar Group and designed by the L35 studio, with a spectacular green roof covering more than 10,000 m2; also in the Andalusian capital, Torre Sevilla has 15,000 m2 of landscaped roofs. The Granada Polígono Peligros has a roof in which this technique has been used.
In Malaga it is obligatory to mention Muelle Uno, where what apparently are the gardens of Paseo de la Farola is actually a huge green roof of the commercial center, which goes from the Paseo de los Curas to the roundabout of La Farola. That project of the Architect Juan Carlos Rodríguez was executed by our team using techniques in accordance with the needs of the roof: thorough calculation of the thickness of the substrate, careful choice of species giving priority to those that present superficial root system and an irrigation network designed to ensure the contribution of exact water in each flowerbed.
Ana Muñiz, an Agricultural Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, has been linked to the world of landscaping since 2000. Especially dedicated to teaching in profesional gardening training, she has instructed more than 500 gardeners. She currently collaborates with Acer Espacios Naturales full time.
