Green Roof Intensive Vs Extensive

The green roof as a habitat.

Green roof intensive vs extensive.

There are two ways of planting a roof. Intensive includes a thick layer of soil that can support large vegetation such as small trees. The distinction is based on the kind of plant involved. Our semi intensive green roof systems include a richer deeper substrate and drainage solution compared to extensive roofs enabling use of a wider range of complex plant mixtures.

It also allows for a formal garden to be installed with paths grass lawn and flowers or pot plants. Planted roofs create living space for animal species. For a conventional roof. Extensive green roof an extensive green roof system is characterized of its vegetation ranging from sedums to small grasses herbs and flowering herbaceous plants which need little maintenance and no permanent irrigation system the growing medium depth for an extensive green roof system is typically 6 inches or less.

A properly designed and installed extensive green roof system can cost 108 248 m 2 10 23 sq ft while an intensive green roof costs 355 2 368 m 2 33 220 sq ft however since most of the materials used to build the green roof can be salvaged it is estimated that the cost of replacing a green roof is generally one third of the initial installation costs. Extensive green roofs. 8 to 20 per square foot. Semi intensive roofs are generally used within highly visible area s to improve aesthetic design using small shrubs forbs and grasses.

A semi intensive green roof can give rise to a richer ecology with more diverse plant and animal species. Semi intensive green roofs require a deeper soil layer but the payoff is in the types of plantings that can be used. An extensive green roof is characterized by a thinner layer of soil and smaller plants. A 2006 study by the university of michigan comparing costs of conventional and green roofs showed that on average installing a green roof costs about 22 00 sq.

15 to 50 per square foot. Intensive vs extensive a green roof comes in two varieties. In addition to the mosses grasses and sedum of extensive roofs semi intensive plantings include herbs flowering plants taller grasses and small shrubs.