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Chapter3
Green roofs: adesigndependenton specificparameters
Urban green roofs can provide benefits for biodiversity, watermanagement aswell as social
services (recreation, gardening, etc.). They require specific technical conditions to be set up.
GreenroofshavebeenusedacrossEuropeinarangeofclimaticcondition,butneverthelessthose
climatic conditionsneeds tobe considered thoroughly toensure that thedesign is appropriate.
Forexample, in theBalticRegion,highsnowfallmayappear tobearestriction,as thegreenroof
willbecoveredbysnowforasignificantproportionof theyear.Thismay limit theeffectiveness
of vegetation in spring and early summer and requires specific consideration indesign. In the
MediterraneanRegion, potential restrictions can appear related tohigh temperatures anddry
weather may appear to
bea restriction, providing
challenges for vegetation
maintenance. However
these can potentially
be overcome through
irrigation
(preferably
using water stored from
runoff from the green
roof) and careful choice
ofvegetation.
Illustration5
©Wikipedia - Simon Garbutt
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