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Another luscious green roof adorns family home
iDecking puts finishing touches on Islington development
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M-Tray Installation, St Pancras Way, London
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Are Blue Roofs Dangerous?
Before answering this question, we should first explain what a blue roof actually is.
A blue roof is an evolution of the existing green roof concept with one significant difference. This type of roof has been designed to help store water and in particular, rainfall.
What Are They Used For?
Whilst the goal of standard roofs is to ensure that water drains at the earliest possible stage, a correctly installed blue roof will deliberately retain some or all of the water above the waterproofing membrane. The water can then be deposited through a designated channel, such as a drain outlet to an area that will cause less damage at a later time.
What Are The Risks?
Unlike green roofs which have no major drawbacks, blue roofs do however have a number of associated dangers.
These include:
- Weight Issues – There is no way to disguise the fact that water is heavy and the build-up of water on a roof can pose structural issues.
- Leakage – Blue roofs are installed with a waterproofing membrane but if this becomes damaged and begins to leak, the damage that could be caused by water cascading through could be catastrophic.
Can Anything Be Done To Combat These Risks?
We are designing a modular blue roof to help reduce these risks. By ensuring that should any issues arise, only one module rather than the entire roof may need to be replaced, speed and cost issues can be abated.
We can replicate the benefits offered by the M-Tray® with green roofs for blue roofs and by creating a cavity, we can allow the water to easily congregate and be dispersed wherever necessary.
Please Note – Blue roofs are typically only suited to new builds. Unlike green roofs which are particularly well suited to retrofitting thanks to the M-Tray®, this is not advised with blue roofs.
Which Areas Are Suited To Blue Roofs?
There are 4 primary areas where the installation of a blue roof can prove to be beneficial
- Storm Water Management– The excess water deposited during storms can play an obvious and significant role in flooding throughout many areas of the world. The installation of a blue roof can play a pivotal role as part of a SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) at roof level. This will help to reduce the impact of rainwater runoff as the flow can be controlled through specifically designed outlets and redirected to less harmful areas.
- Rainwater Storage– With rainwater being precious in many countries, finding a way to store rainwater effectively has taken on greater importance than ever before. The installation of a blue roof to a property can play a key role in the storage of rainwater. The harvested water can also be redistributed for irrigation purposes.
- Reduced Energy Costs– Blue roofs are known for their cooling properties and as such, can actually help to reduce the energy bills for the property to which they have been installed.
- Cooling and Energy Consumption– There was a study on a cider factory in Frankfurt on the Possman Cider Factory and Storage Facility on a blue roof which was installed in 1990 and this paid for itself in electricity costs for cooling within 3 years. Click here for more on that study.
To find out more about the M-Tray®, please click here to visit the dedicated area of the site or call us at Tel. No. 020 8916 2222.
Green Roof Irrigation – Associated Benefits and Techniques
The truth is that a properly established as well as mature green roof can now be properly and promptly installed easily. This could happen on roofs which are hard to actually access, and it’s done manually without having to go through the mess and the disruption which is associated with the regular and traditional green roof systems.
In any case, there are technologies which are available in order to integrate this overly beneficial approach and deliver the full range of benefits that come with green roofs.
Supplying A Range of Irrigation Systems
Wallbarn can supply a range of irrigation systems for installation with extensive sedum green roofs as well as intensive roof gardens. These range from simple timer-based sprinkler networks to fully automated, web-based irrigators, which will feature drought and leak detectors, separate growing zones and control panels.
Now, when it comes to green roof irrigation, you should be aware of the fact that the typical installations wouldn’t actually rely on any kind of additional and artificial irrigation. This is mainly due to the fact that the plants and grass used for the instalment are not that water-dependent, and the occasional rain is going to provide them with enough.
However, in cases of prolonged periods of terribly hot weather or in places in which rains are actually rather rare, the green roof irrigation has to be thoroughly considered. The most appropriate way to handle the issue and the one which is going to provide you with tons of benefits is the installation of a pop-up sprinkler system.
Advantages of This Green Roof Irrigation System
A pop-up sprinkler system is incredibly convenient for a wide range of different reasons. Right off the bat, the watering parts of the system are going to stay hidden within the instalment until the time for watering comes. This is easily programmable through a controlled and unified watering system which is located downstairs, and you could easily adjust it as per the weather requirements.
Furthermore, this is going to spare you all the hassle which is associated with watering the green roof instalment which is without a doubt advantageous.
The most important thing, however, is that a system of the kind is going to provide you with the chance to evenly water the entire instalment without having to do so manually. When you install the sprinklers, you are going to do so in a manner so that they are located perfectly to provide an even and gradual distribution of the water. This is going to ensure that all of the parts of your green roof instalment are properly watered during all times.
There is, of course, the possibility for you to go ahead and water it manually but this is associated with a considerable amount of unnecessary hassle that could easily be spared. The sprinkler systems are cheap and easy to install.
To find out more about the M-Tray®, please click here to visit the dedicated area of the site or call us at Tel. No. 020 8916 2222.
