Have you ever seen a bird’s eye view of the countryside? There are stretches of green farmland, tiny houses on the sides, trees, mountains…it’s quite the view! Cut to the urban landscape- there are rows and rows of concrete buildings- offices, houses, shopping malls, with people scurrying everywhere- it’s not really a pretty sight.
But guess what, there’s a way to make rooftops more sustainable and aesthetically pleasing. Sustainable roofing is becoming an increasingly popular practice in the USA. Commercial buildings, residential properties, even government buildings are designed with sustainable roofs!
If you think sustainable roofing is just a easy-to-say-hard-to-implement moral practice, that’s far from the truth! A 2024 Statista report showed that the green roof market in USA was valued at USD 1.9 billion in 2022, and is expected to reach USD 5.89 billion in 2030!
In this article, we are going to look at some of the sustainable roof practices, how they can benefit condos, and the challenges in doing so. Let’s get started!
Sustainable roofing
Sustainable roofing means designing your roof in such a way that it minimizes the harm you cause to the environment. Now, there are many ways to do that. Here are some ideas.
Solar roof
If you believe in smart homes with IoT and automated appliances, solar roofs are the right product for you. Solar roofing basically means installing solar panels so that they harness the heat of the sun to run electronic appliances. Aesthetically speaking, although there are some sleek and subtle designs out there, appearance is not really the strong suit of solar panels.
If you manage a condo, you know how hard it is to get tenants to be careful with their energy consumption. Individual units and common areas together have the potential to really shoot up the electricity bill, along with your blood pressure!
Solar panels will help you keep your utility bills low, you can pride yourself on clean and efficient energy, and finally, having solar panels is definitely going to push up the value of the property in the market.
Green roof
Green roofs are basically rooftop gardens that keep the surrounding area cool, give shade, fight storm-water, and make your roof look like a bouquet of nature’s bounty! So the great thing is, you breathe clean and fresh air, nurture plants and make a valuable contribution to the local ecosystem.
In fact, these community gardens can be a wonderful opportunity for your tenants to come together for gardening activities, socialize and get to know each other. You can organize fun workshops for sustainable gardening practices, fertilizing, growing native species of plants, etc.
But here’s the catch- you have to put a lot of effort into building and maintaining this garden. You have to make sure it’s protected from pests, prevent water leakage from your ceiling, and be careful as to not put too heavy of a burden on your roof. Plus the upfront costs are a bit higher.
Cool roofs
These are probably, by far, the simplest ones to install! So, here’s the concept- a roof made of materials that reflects sunlight away from the house rather than absorbing it, so your indoor temperature is nice and cool! There are many ways of doing this.
One thing is to paint the roof with a light colour, preferably white. Apart from that, you will also need to use special sustainable roof materials while building the roof. There are many options to choose from, like wood, clay tiles, asphalt, metal shingles, etc.
Benefits of sustainable roofing
According to a report by the American Society for landscape architects, green roofing led to a 10% decrease in energy consumption during the winter months. Moreover, it prevented 27,500 gallons of storm water hitting the room- 78% of the rain in Washington DC. The water runoff from sustainable roofs was also less toxic in terms of its chemical constituents.
As far back as 2011, the US General Service Administration had given a report on the benefits and challenges of green roofing for commercial buildings. Here are some benefits that they outlined, for you and for the environment.
- Storm-water management- When the rain is pelting down, a green roof will absorb the water and prevent leakage.
- Preserves biodiversity- Your green roof will be home to a host of native species of plants, flowers, insects, and birds.
- Better quality- Green roofs and cool roofs will ensure that you breathe cleaner air.
- Combat urban heat islands- Cities often produce a lot of heat through vehicles, factories, electronic appliances, etc. That’s why you’ll find that the countryside climate is way cooler, even in the summer. These are called urban heat islands, and you can help break them up through sustainable roofing.
Challenges in implementing sustainable roofing
- Takes time and hard work, and sometimes also a bit more money
- Difficult to get everyone onboard, because not everyone understands the importance of sustainable practices.
If you are interested in sustainable practices for your condo, the roof is the best place to start. It doesn’t get in anyone’s way, most people wouldn’t mind unless it affects the interiors of their rooms, and you are free to research and experiment!
