The Benefits of Rooftop Gardens
Rooftop gardens have a long history, dating back to the ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats constructed between 4000 and 600 BC, like most things from thousands of years ago.
The roof gardens created a set of steps along the stepped pyramid's outside edge that led to the different levels of the building. There were no inside rooms, thus the terraces of the ziggurats served as a cool, shady area for guests to escape Babylon's intense sun.
Rooftop gardens and energy conservation
Let's now examine how rooftop gardens save energy use.
1. The "Urban Heat Island Effect"
This expression describes what occurs when heat from the sun is rapidly absorbed by an urban building. The rooftop garden's plants absorb and significantly lessen the sun's impact. Cities with enough vegetation can absorb the sun's rays and lower the temperature in the town by up to 10°F.
For instance, the National Research Council of Canada reported that whereas temperatures on a conventional roof fluctuated by about 6°C over the spring and summer, they ranged around 45°C on green roofs.
As a result, a rooftop garden saves energy by drawing heat from the air, shading a building, and lowering temperatures in the nearby rooftop area.
2. They use less energy
Rooftop gardens are an excellent kind of building insulation, helping to keep a structure warm in the winter and cool in the summer. As a result of the roof gardens' ability to perform their function more organically, air conditioning equipment is being replaced.
According to studies conducted in Germany, each square meter of a living roof can save 2 litres of fuel oil annually. Additionally, domestic structures with rooftop gardens might reduce their winter fuel costs by 3–10%. They save money and energy as a result.
3. Supporting Rooftop and Building Expansion and Shrinkage
Most roofs undergo some degree of change when exposed to the sun, snow, wind, and rain; they tend to contract in cooler weather and expand in warmer weather.
Buildings and their roofs live less time due to shrinking and swelling. In addition to extending a building's lifespan, green roofs preserve the energy that is now accessible.
The lifespan of a structure was increased by 20 to 60 years, for instance, when the city of Roanoke, Virginia, added a rooftop garden to its municipal building.
The requirement for replacements and maintenance that can call for virgin materials—which often use energy during production—is eliminated when the lifespan and roofs of buildings are improved.
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4. They do away with the requirement for air conditioning units
When a facility is really heated or hot, air conditioning units are in charge of cooling it down. In fact, in hot and arid areas, these systems consume nearly 70% of all energy.
By virtue of the fact that rooftop gardens cool down a building, their implementation would mean that these buildings would spend less on power for air conditioning. For instance, Chicago's rooftops might be completely greened, saving the city an estimated $100 million in energy annually by reducing the need for air conditioning.
The advantages of rooftop gardens
If you live in the city and don't have much access to a yard, balcony, or other outdoor space that you could use for gardening, rooftop gardens are a great option. Rooftop gardens maximize an often underused space.
One of the simplest gardens to start is a container garden because all you need is a place outside, some plants, and some pots. We've researched the benefits of maintaining a garden like this in order to show you all of them.
A rooftop garden has the following advantages:
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direct sunlight;
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better air quality;
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habitat for wildlife;
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less room for weeds; decoration;
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fresh foods;
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lowered indoor temperature;
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and ease of rearrangement.
Read on as we delve deeper into each of these advantages and address additional frequently asked queries.
Direct Sunlight
Plants typically require a lot of sunshine to develop. Considering that suburban homes only get a certain amount of sunlight, planting flowers around them might be challenging. Here, rooftop gardens flourish. These gardens may make use of as much sunlight as the clouds let since they tower over any potential barriers.
As they will dry out more rapidly, you should also keep an eye on how much sun they are getting and check that you are providing them with the proper amount of water.
Enhanced Air Quality
Daily, the air in big cities is incredibly polluted. Fresh air is the healthiest thing we can breathe for our body, thus we should do it. Inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is how people breathe. Due to their ability to absorb CO2 and release oxygen, plants make the ideal colleagues.
If you live somewhere like New York City, where the air is generally polluted, having a rooftop garden gives you a location to enjoy the fresh air. In an area where plants are scarce, it enables you to enjoy the benefits of nature.
For Wildlife's Habitat
Animals can be found in crowded places like New York City, despite popular belief. The ecology is greatly benefited from a variety of insects and birds. For instance, in order to survive, bees require pollen. Always looking for prey.
You can provide an asset for birds and insects to use by installing a rooftop garden. Wildlife and people will both benefit from this. As a source of bees and butterflies as well as other beneficial organisms, rooftop gardens support a healthy environment.
Large enough plants can also serve as a habitat for other animals and a place for birds to make their nests.
Weeds Have Fewer Spaces
The constant weeding and upkeep of the soil around your plants are one of the most unpleasant aspects of maintaining a garden.
Owning a container garden on your rooftop allows you to use only as much soil as the plants actually require. As a result, maintaining the health of your plants and the appearance of the garden does not require as much effort.
Decorative
Rooftops, let's face it, are usually boring, flat, and uninteresting. A typical roof can be transformed into a private retreat in the city with the help of container gardens. It gives your rooftop more colour and liveliness and aids in making it look more like a tranquil retreat.
Fresh Meals
Lack of access to farmer's markets and other sources of fresh produce is a significant disadvantage of city living. You may produce a variety of fresh, exotic fruits and veggies on your roof with a rooftop garden. Your neighbours will be amazed at how you can have such great, fresh meals every day if you make sure your climate can support the plants you want to produce.
Temperature Drops
Your container rooftop garden may be able to lower the warmth of your rooftop if it is large enough. As you can expect, spending time on a roof in the middle of the summer may feel like torture. However, many plants offer shade.
Rooftops are extremely hot in part because of the materials used to build them and the fact that they are usually in direct sunlight, absorbing the sun's rays. If you have enough plants or spread them out, you can lessen the amount of direct sunlight that strikes your roof, which lowers the temperature of the roof as a whole.
Simple to Arrange
Once you put your flowers, shrubs, fruits, or whatever else you are planting in a typical garden, they are likely to stay there for the foreseeable future. The plants establish themselves in their place by taking root. This is fantastic for keeping them in one location, but it can be challenging if you ever want to move certain plants about.
You may easily reorganize your garden on a rooftop garden. Plants may be readily added or removed, and you never have to worry about digging or exerting yourself too much.
Container gardens vs. green roofs
You can pick between two different types of rooftop gardens. Typically, vegetation covers the entire surface of green roofs. This implies that soil is applied to your roof, and plants are planted as they would be in regular, outdoor soil. Given how much more space is occupied by vegetation on green roofs, they can be rather attractive. However, they will also need a lot more attention.
You won't be able to rearrange plants as simply as with container gardens. The majority of the time, you'll have to treat green roofs just like your backyard. Making sure there is enough soil, water whatever grass you have, etc. Even though container gardens are considerably simpler to manage and create, they may make your rooftop just as green.
Cooling down your roof is one of the most important advantages of a green roof. They can absorb and block part of the heat that would typically reach the roof directly, similar to container gardens. Solar energy can be fully captured by green roofs. In the end, this can help you save money on cooling your building.
What Are The Negative Aspects Of A Rooftop Garden?
Having to take care of the plants and all the duties that go along with that is one of the apparent disadvantages. Having a rooftop garden might be challenging to maintain if there is no access to outside water.
It could be necessary to fill up and keep nearby a bucket or tank. Just a little bit more work is needed than in a typical garden. The fact that you are restricted to particular plants is another issue.
There is hardly any shade on a rooftop, which can either be a blessing or a curse. You won't be able to grow any plants that need shade. You're only going to have access to plants that need lots of sunlight.
The getaway from the concrete jungle's bustle that you've been searching for may be found in a rooftop garden. While residing in the city enables you to have a green thumb. If you're thinking of developing your own rooftop garden, make sure to choose the right plants and be knowledgeable about what it takes to care for them. The advantages continue to multiply after that.
