Green roofs vs Conventional roofs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Green roofs vs Conventional roofs - Essay Example On the other hand, conventional roofs are the more common type of roofs made of such materials as glass, wood, concrete, and bricks. This paper draws a comparison between the green roofs and the conventional roofs. Types The conventional roof has many types. Types of the conventional roof include but are not limited to the single ply roofs, built-up roofs, metal roofs, and asphalt shingle roofs. Single ply roofs are sheet-like membranes manufactured in the factory. Thermoplastic membranes and thermoset membranes are the two types of single ply membranes. Built-up roofs contain several layers of reinforced membranes and modified bitumen roofs. Built-up roofs are the most common as well as the oldest type of conventional roofs. They are also called as the gravel or tar roofs. There are three components in the built-up roofs, which include a layer of waterproofing, a reinforcement layer, topped with a surfacing layer. It is installed with the help of asphalt or coal tar. Structural meta l panel roofs are used for roofs with low slopes as they have the characteristic quality of water barrier. They can also be used for roof assemblies with steep roofs. The structural metal panel roofs are constructed in such a way that water cannot pass through the joints. These roofs are installed in a broad range of substrates. Asphalt shingle roofs are amongst the most commonly used roofs where the slope is steep. There are two types of asphalt shingle roofs; organic roofs and fiber glass roofs. â€Å"Organic consists of paper saturated with asphalt to make it waterproof with a top coat of adhesive with embedded ceramic granule† (gogreenconstructionnow.com, n.d.). Owing to their greater weight, organic shingle roofs offer better blow-off resistance as compared to the fiber glass roofs. Roof shingles may contain single or multiple layers, but all types contain an adhesive strip which is sun-activated and serves as a sealant for the rows. There are three main types of green r oofs; extensive green roofs, semi-intensive green roofs, and intensive green roofs. The extensive green roofs are used in ecological landscapes. The type of vegetation used in the extensive green roofs ranges from moss and herbs to grasses. The depth of substrate in the extensive green roofs is between 60 mm and 200 mm, and their weight is in the range of 60 kg/m2 to 150 kg/m2 (Livingroofs.org, 2012). The cost of extensive green roofs is the lowest of the three types of green roofs. The semi-intensive green roofs are used in ecological landscapes as well as gardens. The type of vegetation employed in them includes herbs, grass, and shrubs. Their depth of substrate ranges from 120 mm to 250 mm whereas their weight is generally between 120 kg/m2 and 200 kg/m2. The cost of semi-intensive green roofs is periodic. The intensive green roofs are used in parks and gardens. The type of vegetation used in the intensive green roofs ranges from perennials and shrubs to trees. Their depth of sub strate is generally 150 mm to 400 mm. The weight of the intensive green roofs is between 180 kg/mm2 and 500 kg/mm2. The cost of intensive green roofs is the highest of the three types of green roofs. Cost Payne et al. (n.d.) conducted a research to compare the expenses associated with the green roofs to the cost of conventional tar roofs to identify the places where the installation of a green roof is more feasible economically than the conventional roof.