European report claims eco-friendly roof coverings are being poorly installed because of research gap
According to an article published online by Nature News, many 'green roof' schemes, which aim to make buildings more eco-friendly by turning rooftops into gardens, are failing because of a lack of basic research on their efficient installation and maintenance. The article quotes Stephan Brenneisen, an ecologist at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.
Written by Katrina Charles, the article references an unpublished report from Green City Zurich, the city department responsible for planning and maintenance of public parks. According to Brenneisen, Zurich found that more than 50% of green roofs in Zurich have less than 5 centimetres of the soil substitute that binds the vegetation to the roof — insufficient to support most plants.
For the complete story, click on this link to How green is your roof?
Posted August 2008