The Concrete Advantages, Reader Response Draft 2

In the article “The Concrete advantage” from the green rooftops’ website, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) explains why a concrete green rooftop is simple, inexpensive and durable compared to a membrane system. The concrete roofs are more feasible which ensures better investment for the society and owners. It is also waterproof by nature which eliminates the need for waterproofing sub-contractors. Both designing and detailing work are not needed too. This allows for a quicker construction and lower building cost. On top of that, it is highly probable that a root barrier is not required as well. The author also stated that the concrete green roofs do not deteriorate over time and it is easy to maintain. Unlike the membrane system, cracks are easily detected through leakages and fixing it only requires an injection.

While the article states the advantages of using a concrete green rooftop, it fails to state the viability of these green roofs.

While reading this article, I felt it was really biased as it only states the advantages of having a green-roof and how the concrete green roofs are the upgraded versions of the membrane ones. However, the concrete green roofs are still a work in progress and it is not used in most green roofs to date. Furthermore, the article did not mention the viability of the green roofs.

From the Hunker website on the “Disadvantages of Green Roofs” article (2018), the author Ann Salter writes about the disadvantages of a green-roof in 2018. As green roofs are plants on roofs, there are requirements that a plant needs to grow properly. One of the factors is the thickness of the roofs. For the plants’ roots to grow properly, the thickness of the roofs must be 6-18inches thicker than a conventional roof. The added thickness will increase the weight of the roof and the load bearing walls of some buildings may not be able to support. Breeze Glazer, sustainable design director for the New York firm Perkins + Will added that “It should have no more than a 20-degree slope, if not lower, ideally as flat as possible”.

In the “Advantages of concrete article”, the author states that the green roofs are more “financially viable, with less exposure risk for the owner and designer, which increases return on investment and project value.” That is partially true. The author further mentions how having a green roof reduces the temperature in the building as it reflects the sun’s heat away than absorbing it. However, a white painted roof which is also known as a ‘cool’ roof, could produce similar results. Carter Strickland, a senior policy adviser in New York City’s long-range planning and sustainability office said in the New York Times that “Green roofs might cost $25 to $30 a square foot; a cool roof would cost a fraction of that”. He later added on how street trees are more “cost-effective” than green roofs. I feel that the biggest selling point of having a green roof is the aesthetics of it. The price that you are required to pay upfront when constructing a green roof is almost twice the amount of building a conventional one.

On the maintenance side, things are not looking too well for the green roofs either. The main article states how it requires “little to no maintenance” which is not true. The plants on the green roof need to be trimmed depending on the type of plants and any leakages can cause a major structural damage. Therefore, the roofs require frequent inspections to ensure that it is in good condition. For most green roofs, finding a leakage is a very complex task. It requires an electronic device that sends out electrical charges to trace the path of the leakage and the extensiveness of the repair on the seriousness of the leak. All of these are the expenses to bear maintaining a green roof.

In conclusion, I feel that the biggest advantage of having a green roof is the aesthetics. It does not provide many advantages other than that. As nice as it looks, there are many unforeseeable circumstances in having a green roof.  It has many advantages, but an equal number of disadvantages. The biggest being, the price.

References

Disadvantages of Green Roofs | Hunker. Hunker.com. Retrieved 8 October 2018, from

https://www.hunker.com/12003790/disadvantages-of-green-roofs

Green Roofs: Are They Worth the Expense? Green Blog. Retrieved 8 October 2018, from

https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/green-roofs-are-they-worth-the-expense/

Green roofs and walls | Yourhome.gov.au. Retrieved 8 October 2018, from http://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/green-roofs-and-walls

What a Green Roof Costs You on the Way to Saving Everything. TheStreet. Retrieved 8 October 2018, from https://www.thestreet.com/story/13161050/1/what-a-green-roof-costs-you-on-the-way-to-saving-everything.html

Concreteconstruction.net. Retrieved 8 October 2018, from https://www.concreteconstruction.net/projects/residential/green-roofs-the-waterproofing-aspects_o