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Green Roof Installation – It Has Never Been Easier

always fill borders with stones on a green roof in Hammersmith

Thanks to the M-TRAY® modular green roofing system, the installation of green roofing systems have never been easier. However, no corners should be cut in the planning stage to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

The M-Tray® modular green roofing system has been developed and improved to make sedum roofs easier to install. The modular system means less disruption to the plants and the structure and has been specifically designed to provide an easy-to-carry tray format which clicks together.

Exactly 4 units per m² make estimating and installing much easier. M-Tray® modules are extremely easy to transport and deliver. They can also be used in areas where standard roll-out is not possible.

Modular systems are much more convenient and are faster and future proof compared to roll-out green roof systems.

Green Roofs Birmingham

The Key Advantages of the M-Tray® Modular Green Roofing System

  • Deeper cavities for extra root growth
  • Optimum drainage leading to stronger plant growth
  • More established vegetation at the point of installation
  • More efficient transport and packaging
  • Exactly 4 units per m²
  • Easier to carry trays with smooth handles
  • A closer connection between trays ensures more seamless plant growth
  • No sharp edges ensure reduced risk to the membrane
  • Nothing spills out, less mess
  • Made from recycled plastic with a recycled substrate
  • Less packaging means less waste
  • The UK designed and manufactured

For more on our range of green roofing options, please visit the dedicated section on our website by clicking here.

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Using Green Roofs To Enhance The Local Environment

Fully installed green roof at Victoria Drive Wimbledon

Green roofs provide possibly the easiest and most effective methods of helping to bring nature into the cities.

They are a useful and realistic way to improve the aesthetics of often very stark and ugly flat roofs.

Enhancing the Local Environment

Finding ways to improve the local environment is high on the to-do list of cities throughout the UK and this is the number one priority of the green roof division at Wallbarn.

We work closely with both our clients and landscape architects during all stages of the planning process to ensure that we can install the most appropriate and diverse green wall possible, such as we did at the Victoria Drive Care Home at Wimbledon.

Our green roofs designed and constructed to complement the existing architecture of the building in question with the goal of being able to capture the imagination of occupants and visitors for years to come.

We offer our customers the opportunity to benefit from the wide-ranging benefits offered by this easy to install the modular green roof system, the M-TRAY®.

While a traditional roof is designed to keep water off and heat away, green roof technology is designed to do something a little different.

A green roof strategy could help cut the negative impact caused by severe storms and flooding, studies have shown.

Effective Protection Against Excess Rainfall

A study by the United States Environmental Protection Agency has taken a closer look at the way green roofs can effectively combat the threat posed by annual rainfall.

“Results indicate that the green roofs are capable of removing 50% of the annual rainfall volume from a roof through retention and evapotranspiration. Rainfall not retained by green roofs is detained, effectively increasing the time to peak, and slowing peak flows for a watershed.”

“There are seasonal considerations as more runoff is generated during winter and for many summer storms, there was no runoff. Green roof runoff does contain concentrations of some nutrients and other parameters, but values are in line with other planted systems. Due to the volume reduction, actual nutrient loadings from green roofs are less than asphalt roofing runoff or otherwise manageable at the downspout.”

Click here to view the full study

 

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The Many Benefits Of Green Roofs In The City

Installing Green Roofing Has Never Caused Less Disruption

If you are concerned about the impact of your property on the local environment, there are many things that you can do around your home to reduce your carbon footprint and lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

For example, the installation of a green roof on your home offers many environmental benefits, as well as making your home more energy-efficient.

What exactly is a green roof?

Simply put, it involves growing vegetation on the roof of your property, rather than just having shingles or tile. Actually growing plants on your house without damaging the structure or killing the plants requires some effort, but the basic idea is simple.

Once a green roof is in place, you will experience many benefits from its presence. A simple benefit is simply the aesthetic appeal. Having green plants growing on your roof can be a lot more attractive than dull, grey tiles. It certainly will give your home a unique appearance that will make it stand out in contrast to your neighbours.

Waste Reduction

A green roof will also help reduce the amount of waste that is produced and sent to a landfill. Many materials can be recycled and reused in such a roof so that they do not have to simply be disposed of. A green roof also makes your home more energy-efficient so that your heating and cooling system experiences less wear and tear, making it last longer before it needs to be repaired or even replaced.

Rainwater Management

If you live in a rainy area, having a green roof will also help you better manage the water from a storm. These roofs soak up rainwater rather than just letting it run off onto the ground. In the summer, for example, green roofs can absorb as much as three-quarters of the rainfall that lands on them. Even in winter, they can absorb around a third of the precipitation.

Temperature Moderation

On a broader scale, the widespread use of green roofs will help to moderate the temperatures in your city. The urban heat island effect is a phenomenon that causes cities to be significantly warmer than the surrounding countryside. Installing green roofs on homes and other buildings moderates this effect and cools off a city.

As you can see, there are many benefits to green roofs, both for you individually as well as for the wider community. Why not think about having one installed on your home in the near future?

For more on the innovative modular green roof solution available from Wallbarn called the M-Tray®, please click here.

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The History of Green Roofs

A close up image of a green roof installation

In recent years, you may have heard the term ‘green roof’ or ‘living roof’ and probably wondered what it refers. Well, a living roof is a roof covered in grasses, flowers, turf, and sometimes even trees and shrubs.

A Storied History

In many parts of the world living room has been part of home building for thousands of years. Societies such as the Babylonians, Norse and even early European pioneers in Canada have used green roofs for thousands of years.

The historical living roofs main purpose was to provide insulation. Modern living roofs, however, provide both insulations as well as a way of building more environmentally friendly homes.

The current version of the living roof has its roots in 1970s Germany. There, architects, there were having trouble creating and maintaining strong roofing against strong wind and rainstorms, the country faced. One of the proposed solutions was the installation of green roofs whereby the plants’ roots and soil would absorb the excess rainwater and protect the roofing foundation.

Widespread Introduction

By the 1980s, the green roofs were particularly widespread in Germany but quite literally unknown in the rest of the world. The rest of the world came to adopt green roofing in the late 1990s because of a rising interest in green architecture. Today many cities all over the world have many great examples of green roofs whose owners are always eager to give tours.

Introducing The Wallbarn M-Tray®

M-Tray® is a ready-grown, fully established sedum, sedum-and-wildflower or wildflower-only green roof loaded into a portable tray, for an easier installation of green roofs.

Our new, improved design for the M-Tray® modular green roof system is a  pre-grown sedum green roof product that is supplied in easy-to-handle plastic tray units.

A fully established, a mature green roof can be installed quickly and easily on difficult-to-access roofs by hand without the mess and disruption associated with traditional extensive green roof systems.

All the growing, filtration and drainage elements are included in the system and the shape of the modules means that each one is simply laid onto the deck and clipped to the next module to create one seamless, fully established green roof.

For more on the M-Tray® modular green roof system from Wallbarn, please click here.

 

 

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How To Lift Decking Away From Standing Water

With the inclement weather in the UK, along with the increasing amount of decking being installed at poolside areas, the need to ensure it can be lifted away from standing water cannot be ignored.

Wallbarn has taken notice of this and developed a fast, simple and durable system of suspended deck finishing applied to timber as well as paving slabs.

The Perfect Tools!

Most roofs are built-to-falls for drainage purposes. Where the level between the door threshold and the drainage outlet is significant, where the roof falls in more than one direction, where large drops or channels are present, or where there are multiple and complicated changes in the fall and levels across the roof – then the range of universal pedestals available from Wallbarn are the perfect tools.

This is a suspended system – the weight of the slab holds everything in place.

Support Pedestals

Wallbarn’s range of support pedestals designed with a telescopic stem which is wound up and down to achieve a completely flat upper surface. Changes to height can be made whilst the slab is in place. This saves a great deal of time and labour.

The rainwater runs between and under the slabs, so there is no standing water left on the surface. This improves health & safety as it makes the paved area less slippery.

To access our full range of pedestals, please click here.

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Green Roof Planning – What Did You Need To Know?

close up of modular green roof installation

When you start to think about installing a green roof design on to your property, there are a few things which you need to take into account.

What is a Green Roof?

First things first though, do you actually know what a green roof is??

A green roof is really a rooftop garden and can be anything from a two-inch covering of vegetation to a fully-fledged accessible garden with flowers, shrubs and even trees.

The Planning Stage

Thanks to the M-Tray® modular green roofing system, the installation of green roofing systems have never been easier. However, no corners should be cut in the planning stage to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

Whenever you are planning the design of your green roof you need to think about a few details including:

  • What type of drainage system will you require? This is incredibly important and something which needs to be well thought out and designed before the work starts. A well designed green roof can be a tremendous asset to a property with terrific insulation properties helping to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter which in turn helps to reduce heating and cooling bills.
  • What are the goals for your green roof? Is it simply for environmental purposes or do you wish to create a space which you can really enjoy to the full?
  • What visual requirements do you have for your green roof? This is another major consideration to be thought through in the design stages. Green roofs are aesthetically pleasing and can really help to lift a neighbourhood so it is important to think about these issues in the beginning.
  • What is the level of required access? Although all green roofs need to have some access for maintenance purposes some of them really are rooftop gardens and there for the family to enjoy. You need to think about how much access will be needed when you start on your green roof design.
  • What is a load of structure support? Every structure will have the maximum amount of weight it can support so this is extremely important to discover and workaround.
  • What budget do you have? The creation of a green roof is initially more expensive than traditional roofing materials but there are many benefits to make up for it. The savings to the environment and on energy costs can be tremendous in time. The price you pay will largely depend upon the style of green roof you opt for.

After answering all of these questions you will have some idea of the best design for a green roof on your property. They are becoming increasingly popular and can provide a fabulous feature for your property just so long as you have thought things through properly.

For more on our range of green roofing options, please visit the dedicated section on our website by clicking here.

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How Important is Effective Foundation Waterproofing?

polypropylene geotextile fabrics for civil engineering

Leaking foundations can potentially be catastrophic and can endanger the entire structure of a property. To help ensure that this never happens to you, Wallbarn supply a range of highly effective foundation waterproofing.

To stop water from entering a foundation, effective foundation waterproofing needs to be seamless with the ability to stretch over cracks and withstand water under hydrostatic pressure caused by heavy rains.

Spray applied polymer-modified asphalt exterior foundation waterproofing stops water on the outside before it can get into a basement.

Seamless Waterproofing

Every new foundation needs to be waterproofed and the application of reliable foundation waterproofing can help to save a world of trouble further down the line. Spray application of seamless waterproofing on the exterior of a foundation turns the interior into a dry basement. Now the basement living area stays dry and free of water. Without foundation waterproofing, water can seep through a foundation wall or through a crack in the foundation.

For years foundations were only damp-proofed, which only stops water vapour and is not a reliable method of stopping water under hydrostatic pressure pushing its way through a damp-proofed foundation. Also, damp-proofing is brittle and cannot bridge cracks in a foundation. Effective foundation waterproofing will stop this happening.

There are 2 basic types of foundation waterproofing & we can help you with both. The first is known as –

External Tanking

This is also known as the “positive side” waterproofing. We can supply you with self-adhesive waterproof membranes, thick film and elastic liquid membranes, mineral sealing slurries, drainage and protection sheets and our high tech gel curtain system for external waterproofing from the inside.

Internal Tanking

This is also known as the “negative side” waterproofing. We can supply you with the materials needed for high-performance cementitious sealing slurries for damp and actively leaking surfaces, mineral water plugs for instantly sealing in-rushes of water, rapid setting repair mortars.

For more information regarding Wallbarn’s range of effective foundation waterproofing please don’t hesitate to contact us on Tel. No. 0208 916 2222.

 

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Green Spaces Matter – Perhaps More Now Than Ever

A close up image of the sedum used in the M-Tray

Due to the continuous rise of the population in many major cities, the amount of untouched vegetation and green spaces is under threat and this the subsequent decline in plant life is turning up the heat.

With air quality suffering from the effects of urban heat and pollution, physical and mental health are now being impacted.

However, the good news is that the tide may be beginning to turn in a positive way once more. Many new structures and even some old ones are now being designed to feature green roofs, walls and sky gardens.

Beyond aesthetics, these elements slowly bring back Mother Nature into our cities and offer a variety of benefits.

  • Improving the local environment by providing wildlife habitats
  • Absorbing CO2, pollution and particulates from the atmosphere
  • Improving sound and vibration insulation
  • Improving thermal insulation
  • Reducing the amount and speed of rainwater run-off by around 50% and forming part of a SUDS design
  • Reducing the “heat island” effect in built-up areas and helping to improve air quality and environment

Protecting the structure and waterproofing membrane from:

    • UV light and heat from the sun
    • Impact and abrasion
    • Environmental elements including extremes of temperature
    • Plant and bird infestation
    • Ballasting inverted waterproofing systems

Optimising the structural footprint by:

    • Increasing space – providing new and attractive natural amenity areas
    • Adding floor space in often high-density developments
    • Adding focal points
    • Decreasing energy costs
    • Increasing the value of the development

Wallbarn can advise and assist on all aspects of scoping, installing and maintaining your green roof project. You can find more information via the dedicated area of our website by clicking here.

Just pick up the phone, ask a question using the live chat facility on this site or send us an email at info@wallbarn.com and we’ll get back to you next working day at the latest.