There are numerous benefits to using a green roof, including:

• Enhancing Biodiversity (Code Categories ECO2 & ECO4)
• Storm Water Attenuation (Code Category SUR1)
• Good Green Guide Ratings (Code Category MAT1)
• Responsibly Sourced (Code Category MAT2)
• Reducing Air Pollution
• Urban Heat Island Effect
• Noise Reduction
• Improved Buildling Insulation
• Extending Roof Life
• Increased Efficiency of Solar Panels

Due to the large number of benefits and the number of code categories that a green roof can score credits, they can be a cost effective way of increasing the environmental and sustainable credentials of a development and acheiving your CfSH credits.

It is important to consider Green Roofs from the early stages of a development as they will generally require structural reinforcement to the roof. Further information can be found below.

A green roof consists of several layers as shown in the following diagram:

Thecodestore.co.uk can provide all of the nessecary layers required for your green roof system:

Vegetation Layer

Sustainably grown in the UK, lightweight and easy to install, they are supplied ready to roll out as an instant vegetation layer with plants established and growing in a biodegradable felt mat made from recycled British textiles. There are different top layers that can be provided including grass, wildflower and seedum or combinations of these flowers. You should consider your ecology report to aid in making your choice if you are attempting to gain ECO credits.

Lightweight Substrate

Made from a mixture of 100% recycled crushed brick and specially matured and graded recycled green waste compost. The substrate is matched to the type of vegetation to be used on the roof.

Drainage Layer

Our system is ideal for extensive green roofs as it provides lightweight drainage with a water reservoir to sustain plant growth. Both of these factors contribute to the developments SUR1 Management of Surface Water Run Off credentials.

Rootbarrier Layer (Optional)

If your waterproof membrane does not include a lifetime root penetration guarantee we recommend that our root barrier layer should be used.

Waterproof Membrane

A suitable waterproof membrane should be installed by your roofing contractor.

Edging Details & Vegetation Barrier

A 300-500mm wide layer of 20-40mm washed pebbles or gravel should be applied as a vegetation barrier around the perimeter of the roof and around any roof penetrations (drainage outlets or roof openings including skylights or windows).

Pitch & Weight

It is advisable for a green roof to be considered early on in the design stages of a development as the system will require a strong roof to support it. Below is a guide to the roof requirements nessecary to support a green roof:

• Can be installed on a flat roof or pitched roof up to 30 degrees without extra irrigation
• Roofs over 25 degrees may require addittional slope staibilisation for the substrate to avoid slippage
• The roof will have an addittional weight of 85-135kg per square meter depending on the depth of the substrate used.

More detailed information can be obtained on the specific systems page

Our green roof system has been designed to be simple enough to self-install or can be installed by your roofing contractor.

Key points to consider are:

• Vegetation must be laid within 24 hours in the summer and 48 hours in the winter.
• Vegetation mats should be laid on to damp substrate of a minimum depth of 50mm and 75mm-100mm is recommended for the Lindum Wildflower & Sedum mat.
• If there any delays with installing your green roof product it is recommended that all vegetation mats be unloaded from the pallets, unrolled and watered immediately.