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Besides being aesthetically pleasing, a green roof can provide numerous environmental, technical and owner benefits. Ecological Benefits Mitigates Urban Heat Island: The urban heat island is a dome of higher air temperatures above a city. The urbanization of the natural landscape from forests and farmland into buildings, roadways, and other man made structures has caused average ambient air temperatures in the metropolitan areas to be anywhere from 2-12°F warmer than their surrounding rural areas. Heat islands occur in almost every urban center around the world and, with the exception of minor variations in geographical and climatological features, the pattern of heat islands are quite similar from city to city. Several factors are known to influence the formation of the heat islands within urban areas. The most influential being the transformation of the natural land cover from permeable soil and vegetation into relatively impermeable roadways and buildings. Natural landscapes of vegetation and soil have the ability through evapotranspiration (the loss of water from the soil by both evaporation and transpiration from the plants growing thereon) to reduce the heating potential of incoming solar radiation. Green roofs cool and humidify the surrounding air creating a microclimate which has beneficial effects within the immediate area. Natural Habitat for Animals and Plants: Green roofs create biodiversity, encouraging wildlife, such as birds, butterflies, and insects, to remain within urban areas. Reduction of Dust and Smog Levels: Green roof vegetation helps to filter out dust and smog particles. Nitrates and other aerosol contaminants are absorbed out of the air and rainfall and bound with the soil. Technical Benefits... Storm Water Retention: Depending on the design, a green roof can typically reduce storm water run-off by 50 to 90%. Additionally, the peak flow volume is greatly reduced and the peak flow period is delayed by as much as 4 hours, minimizing the impact on existing sewer systems. Additional Thermal Resistance: Green roofs can improve the thermal resistance of the roof assembly throughout the year, especially in summer months by helping to reduce cooling costs. Reduced noise levels: Typical extensive green roofs (3" - 4" growing media) reduce reflective sound by up to 3 dB and improve sound insulation by up to 8 dB. This is most effective with buildings near airports, factories, or busy freeways. Owner Benefits... Increased Life Expectancy of the Roof: A green roof, much like a PMR (Protected Membrane Roof) Assembly, protects the roof membrane from climatic extremes and physical abuse, thereby greatly increasing the life expectancy of the roof. Additional Usable Space: Converting or designing normally unused roof areas into green roofs simply makes sense. Increase your property value by reclaiming the fifth elevation of a building and make it an amenity to be used by the building's occupants. Building Incentives: More and more municipalities and other government agencies are providing incentives that can help off-set the cost of a green roof.
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