Green Roof History Germany

Sod roofs are frequently found on traditional farmhouses and farm buildings in iceland.

Green roof history germany.

We thought the rest of you would enjoy taking a peek back in history too. In the 1970s green roof technology was elevated to the next level. Long held green roof traditions started in the early industrialization period more than 100 years ago exist in germany. Modern green roof technology began in the early seventies in germany when the first green roof systems were developed and marketed on a large scale.

In hamburg green roofing costs three times more than a gravel alternative although costs equalise over a 40 year period. Switzerland s first modern green roofs built in the 1990s averaged us 20 per square foot more than an ordinary roof. Serious storm water issues made cities think about innovative solutions preferably with living plants. Green roofs like this one in berlin germany support specialized hearty vegetation and provide environmental services such as stormwater retention urban heat island effect amelioration habitat for urban wildlife and energy savings resulting from better insulation.

Today in europe about 10 000 000m of new green roofs are being constructed each year. Since that time extensive green roofs have been lauded for their many benefits as cost effective solutions for urban environmental problems. Green roofs are an old idea. By the early 1900s germany was building flat green roofs in urban areas and continued to do so throughout the century.

Here at green roof technology we are proud to house the largest green roofs archives in the united states. During the oil crisis of the 1970s west germany explored lightweight adaptations of sod roofs for the purpose of energy conservation. However add in subsidies and the green roof is cheaper. In the 1970s when the oil crisis was at its height germany was one of the first countries to investigate the use of green roofs for energy conservation and by the middle of the noughties there were an estimated 13 million square metres of roofing in the country covered with greenery.

Unlike former green roofs this first approach offered reliable technology that provided sophisticated irrigation and protection against root ingress for rooftop gardens. Because our history with green roofs began way back in the mid 1970 s in stuttgart germany we have had the privilege to collect government and trade publications for almost four decades. In the 1970s when the oil crisis was at its height germany was one of the first countries to investigate the use of green roofs for energy conservation and by the middle of the noughties there were an estimated 13 million square metres of roofing in the country covered with greenery. In the early 1970 s germany was the epicenter of a revitalization of roof top gardening.

This is a relatively new phenomenon and was developed in germany in the 1960s and has spread to many countries since then. Germany is the country with the most green roofs in the world and it is the country with the most advanced knowledge in modern green roof technology.