[SustainableTompkins] Green roofing?

[George Frantz]

Liz,
 
Is a vegetated roof a possibility?  If the roof is not that steep this may be an option.
 
You would have to ensure that the house and roof framing are robust enough to support the added weight of the soil and plants.  There have been a number of soils mixes developed specifically for rooftop use that are lightweight and which can actually add much less weight than you would think.
 
A landscape architect in Buffalo recently finished a small studio building that featured a vegetated roof.  It was a gable design with a 6/12 or 7/12 or steeper roof pitch.  The design is simple enough that no special skills are needed to make it work.  
 
The American Society of Landscape Architects has also installed a vegetated roof on their headquarters building.  They have a link to reports on that project via their website at  www.asla.org
 
I also recently toured a vegetated roof on top of an older commercial building in Toronto that had been rehabilitated a few years ago.
 
The new dining hall roofs on West Campus at Cornell have vegetated roofs.
 
Copper?  I was at a friend's new house the other day that had a copper roof.  I can't comment on the sustainability of using copper, i.e. whether its lifespan outweighs the environmental costs of mining and manufacturing.
 
Best regards.
 
George Frantz


>At 01:50 PM 7/30/2008 -0400, you wrote:
> >We need to replace the roof on our house. ANyone have any ideas about
the
> >best material to use in terms of the lowest ecological footprint?
We'd like
> >to get slate if it's not too ridiculously expensive. Any advice
about
> >materials or contractors would be welcome. We live in Owego (35 miles
S of
> >Ithaca).
>
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