Green roofs

Example schematics of extensive green roofs. On the left, a 'built up' system comprising layers: roofing membrane, drainage board, geotextile, planting medium and sedum mat; and on the right a pre-planted plastic module or tray.

Overview

Modern green roofs are a rapidly developing commercial market in Ontario. Their primary benefit as a LID technology is in maximizing evapotranspiration for water balance targets.

Take a look at the downloadable Green Roofs Planning and Design Factsheet below for an overview of this LID best management practice:

Green roofs are sometimes referred to as 'eco-roofs', 'vegetated roofs', or 'living roofs'.

Green roofs are ideal for:

• Sites without significant space at ground level for infiltration,
• Zero-lot line projects with outdoor amenity requirements,
• Projects looking for accreditation with LEED v.4

Extensive green roofs are the most common type being applied for stormwater management purposes in Ontario. Intensive green roofs are commonly used for amenity space on medium- and high-rise residential developments or sometimes as urban farms. They are sometimes referred to as roof gardens and encompass diverse uses, design priorities and technical specifications. In the most extreme examples, many urban parkettes including large shade trees may be included in this class, if they have parking garages beneath. As such the discussion on this page is limited to extensive green roofs.

Types of green roofs: defined by construction depth

Property	Extensive	Intensive
Planting medium depth	10 - 15 cm	> 15 cm
Loading	up to ~250 kg/m2	Limitless where 'roof' is at ground level
Cost	Typically lower	Higher, including structural accommodations and plant selection
Maintenance	Depends highly on the aesthetic expectations of stakeholders	Will be comparable to other landscapes, depending on access requirements.
Stormwater benefit	Provides best cost-benefit balance	Varies highly
Biodiversity benefit	Lower, depends on planting	Greater potential, depends on planting
Amenity benefit	Usually visual only i.e. inaccessible	Often accessible

The fundamental components of an extensive green roof are:

• a roof structure able to support the design load
• a waterproof membrane resistant to root penetration
• a drainage layer
• a filter layer
• a layer of planting medium
• plants

Additional components may include:

• an irrigation system
• pre-formed tray modules

Planning considerations

Sloped extensive green roof at Toronto Botanical Gardens, designed with four species of Sedum (Image: Terry McGlade)

Same extensive green roof illustrating the increased biodiversity resulting from very light maintenance over 10 years

Green roofs offer a variety of co-benefits beyond stormwater management. In urban centers they are often constructed to accommodate a roof terrace or amenity space. In this scenario, the direct stormwater capture benefit is restricted to the areas with vegetation planted. Another increasingly popular use for rooftop space is for urban farming. Again, the direct stormwater capture benefit is restricted to the areas with planters. To maximize the utility of a green roof as a low impact development tool, coverage with planting should be maximized. In many cases this means only inaccessible spaces are used.

Amenity

Roof gardens with a high proportion of impermeable surface are popular in high rise developments. These amenity terraces are often described as green roofs, but the LID benefit applies only to the vegetated areas. The stormwater benefit of all kinds of green roofs is maximized by combined with rainwater harvesting for subsequent irrigation. Sedum and native species have all been shown to thrive with daily irrigation to saturation.

Rooftop farming is also becoming common in some Ontario cities. Again consideration should be given to the proportion of the roof actually planted. Where large open expanses of roof are being cropped, measures may be required to reduce erosion of exposed planting medium. Any digging or furrows will reduce the stormwater benefit.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity opportunities are optimized by planting a variety of species. General advice on this has been prepared by the City of Toronto. In the long term, the richness of species increases owing to 'volunteer species'. The desirability of this diversity varies with the aesthetic concerns of the green roof owner.

Design

The vegetation on this extensive green roof is designed to withstand the deep shade of being in downtown Toronto.

Roof

Flat roofs should be graded without depressions, with positive drainage ≥ 2% (1:50) towards roof drains. For roofs with pitch greater than 10 % (1:10) additional geo grid or cellular components should be included in the design. These structures reduce the flow rate of the draining water, and help to stabilize green roof components. Green roofs can be installed on slopes greater than 20 % (1:5), but specialized design advice should be sought for the addition of components required to secure the green roof in place. Extensive green roofs do not require additional insulation layers. The underlying roof may be of warm, cold or inverted design. Extensive green roofs add load of around 70 - 300 kg/m². A structural engineer should be consulted during design to account for the distributed loads including snow accumulation and live loads including maintenance staff. Roof membranes should be waterproof, root resistant, resilient to temperature change, and comply with appropriate CGSB standards as specified in the Ontario Building Code. In most cases a new roof with a modern membrane will not require a separate root penetration barrier. In retrofit scenarios an additional root barrier may be recommended to protect an older roof membrane.

Drainage Layer

The underlying drainage layer is most often a preformed plastic sheet, formed to include depressions for water storage and perforations to drain excess water. This design has the advantage of being most lightweight, but has minimal impact on flow rates once the water has percolated onto the roof membrane below. An alternative drainage layer solution is to use a granular medium to increase the tortuosity of the flow path and slow peak flow rates.

Filter Layer

The geotextile layer is included to prevent migration of the planting medium into the drainage layer. Current advice is to specify a free draining textile to prevent potential water-logging of the planting medium. Observations green roof assemblies have shown a reduction of flow from specifications owing to interactions of medium particles with the textile.

Growing Medium

The green roof media used in Ontario can be classed according to proportion of composted biological material. Some existing installations use materials which comply with FLL guidelines, whilst others use a much higher proportion of compost.

ASTM International have a number of standards relating to various design considerations for green roofs. These standards provide good technical advice on the testing of systems and components. Of particular note are:

• Standard Test Method for Maximum Media Density for Dead Load Analysis of Vegetative (Green) Roof SystemsE2399, and
• Test Method for Saturated Water Permeability of Granular Drainage Media E2396.

When these tests are completed, the results should be interpreted in relation to the objectives of the green roof. A product complying with overseas guidelines may not serve the needs of a green roof installed in Ontario. In particular, the FLL guide recommends green roof media specifications which may not provide optimal stormwater management or vegetation in our region.

In many proprietary systems the default option for planting medium will be a granular material with very low organic matter content. However, many companies can arrange for a high organic matter alternative to be substituted if requested.

Increasing the depth of planting medium from 10 cm to 15 cm has been shown to benefit the vegetation , however stormwater retention was not improved with this increase in depth

Considerations for using a 'high organic', compost based planting medium

Benefits	Disadvantages
Increased water holding capacity, which benefits both vegetation health and stormwater retention Lighter weight, even when saturated	Increased phosphorus concentration in runoff water. The lightweight material is more prone to wind erosion, and this should be accounted for in the initial design, alternatives include erosion control blankets, soil tackifiers, or Sedum mats.

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Irrigation

Regular irrigation has been shown to substantially reduce the stormwater capture benefit of an extensive green roof. One way to reduce the irrigation used on green roofs is through the use of smart technologies. Responsive sensors that suppress irrigation after a rainstorm are routinely attached to green roofs to conserve water. Improvements can be made by instead using a 'soil' moisture sensor to trigger irrigation. State-of-the-art management systems now use predicted weather data to suppress irrigation ahead of storm events, see digital technologies. Due to their limited water retention capacity, many green roofs are coupled with a rainwater harvesting cistern, to capture the excess water. It then becomes desirable to use as much harvested water to regain the cistern capacity, Green roofs can be irrigated to saturation daily throughout the growing season without damaging the vegetation.

Irrigation technology	Benefits	Disadvantages
Spray	Maximizes evaporation	Requires higher water quality
Drip or capillary	Harvested rainwater is readily used without further treatment Uses less water	Planting medium does not 'wick' water sideways readily, so can lead to localized dry areas

Maximizing evaporation with spray irrigation is the faster way to empty a stormwater cistern, and provides some cooling benefit for the building and it's surroundings.

Planting

The choice of vegetation on an extensive green roof is insignificant in stormwater management compared to the choice of planting medium or the provision of irrigation. The vegetation should be selected to be resilient to both very wet and very dry periods.Sedum species are the most common choice, demonstrating excellent longevity in systems with or without irrigation. Some projects expect the low growing Sedum to remain in graphic designs according to species and flower color. This is not a realistic expectation without significant maintenance costs. Instead project stakeholders should be prepared early in the design process to embrace the green roof as a living and evolving ecosystem. Designs which incorporate both Sedum and native species can help with this.

Drains and vegetation free zones

Vegetation free areas are often required around the perimeter of the roof to reduce wind uplift, on larger areas requiring firebreaks, for access paths and around drains. To prevent accumulation of sediment and migration of the vegetation, the vegetation free areas should not be filled with decorative aggregate or river rock. Instead concrete pavers or other surfaces that do not actively trap particles will reduce weeding maintenance.

Design for ease of maintenance

The primary operational concern for operating a green roof is the development of a leak. Green roofs protect the roof membrane from UV damage and should increase the lifespan of the roof. However, in the event that a leak is discovered a section of green roof would have to be removed for access. Some proprietary systems appear to be easier to remove and replace. This may come at a cost, as the rainwater retention of the system is somewhat reliant on continuous coverage of the green roof surface.

Green roofs should receive as little maintenance as possible. Regular inspection is only required to see that the drains are free from obstruction and that the vegetation coverage is adequate to prevent wind erosion. During detailed design, all areas adjacent to the green roof itself should be kept free from granular material. Sediment accumulates in gravel edging, which then permits the vegetation to take root and spread.

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  Example of gravel edging around a roof, which needs weeding.

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  Example of gravel edging around a roof drain, which needs weeding.

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  The amenity value of this roof is enhanced by the tall and climbing plants screening the high safety fences.

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  Very light maintenance has permitted a stand of Mullein to develop on this prairie style green roof, increasing the biodiversity value.

Green roof plants

Sortable table, click on header you wish to select your green roof plants by

Scientific name	Common name	Soil Moisture 1=Dry 2=Med 3=Wet	Partial shade tolerance	Colour
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow	1-2		O
Allium schonaprasum	Chives	2-3		1
Aquilegia canadensis	Wild columbine	1-3	Y	1
Calendula sp.	Marigold	2		2
Carex sp.	Sedge	3	Y	O
Centaurea sp.	Bluet	1-2		3
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early sunrise'	Large-flowered tickseed	1-2		2
Coreopsis lanceolata	Lanceleaf coreopsis	1-2		2
Coreopsis tripteris	Tickseed	1-2		2
Cosmos sp.	Cosmos	1-3		1
Equisetum hymale	Rough horsetail	2-3	Y	O
Erysimum sp.	Wallflower	1-2		1
Geranium maculatum	Wild geranium	2	Y	1
Geranium psilostemon 'Rozanne'	Cranesbill Geranium	2-3	Y	3
Leucanthemum superbum	Shasta daisy	1-2		2
Liatris spicata	Blazing star	2		3
Lobelia siphilitica	Blue cardinal flower	2-3	Y	3
Lolium multiflorum	Ryegrass	1-3	Y	O
Lupinus polyphyllus	Large leaf lupin	1-3	Y	3
Monarda fistulosa	Bee balm	1-3		1
Monarda punctata	Horsemint	2		3
Panicum virgatum	Switchgrass	1-3		O
Papaver rhoeas	Corn poppy	1-3		1
Penstemon digitalis	White Beardtongue	1-2		O
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	Narrowleaf mountain mint	1-2	Y	O
Rudbeckia hirta	blackeyed Susan	1-3	Y	2
Rudbeckia nitida 'Herbstsonne'	Cutleaf coneflower	2	Y	2
Rudbeckia laciniata 'Goldquelle'	Golden glow coneflower	2	Y	2
Saponaria officinalis	Soapwort	2-3	Y	O
Schizachyrium scoparium	Little Bluestem	2		O
Sedum sp.	Stonecrop	1-3		O
Sempervivum sp.	Houseleek	1-2		O
Silene sp.	Campion	1-2	Y	O
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae	New England Aster	2		3
Trifolium repens	White clover	3		O

Aesthetics of the planting should consider that the practice may be viewed from above.

Construction

Refer to the Green roof construction page for detailed guidance on construction best practices.

Inspection and maintenance

Green roof maintenance is typically greatest in the first two years as plants are becoming established. Vegetation should be monitored to ensure dense coverage becomes established. A warranty on the vegetation should be included in the construction contract. Regular operation of a green roof includes:

• Irrigation System: Watering should be based on actual soil moisture conditions as plants are designed to be drought tolerant. High soil moisture from unnecessary watering will reduce the runoff reduction benefits of the green roof.
• Leak Detection: Electronic leak detection is recommended. This system, also used with traditional roofs, must be installed prior to the green roof. Particular attention to leak detection should be paid in the first few months following installation (The Folsom Group, 2004).

Ongoing maintenance should occur at least twice per year (Magco, 2003) and should include:

• Weeding: Remove volunteer seedlings of trees and shrubs. Extensive green roofs are not designed for the weight of these plants, and the woody roots can damage the waterproofing.
• Debris and Dead Vegetation Removal: Debris and bird feces should be removed periodically. In particular, the overflow conveyance system should be kept clear.

Take a look at the Inspection and Maintenance: Green Roofs page by clicking below for further details about proper inspection and maintenance practices:

Life cycle costs

To learn about Life Cycle Costs associated with this practice (i.e. Pre-construction, Excavation, Materials & Installation, Project Management, Overhead, Inspection and Maintenance, Rehabilitation and other associated costs), visit the Green Roof: Life Cycle Costs page to view a cost estimate for an extensive pre-grown mat green roof. Alternatively you can use the STEP's Low Impact Development Life Cycle Costing Tool (LID LCCT) to generate cost estimates customized to your own LID stormwater design project specifications.

Take a look at the Green Roof: Life Cycle Costs page by clicking below for further details:

Performance

Recently laid Sedum mats on a ground level podium roof.

Detail showing the early root development through the mat to the granular planting medium.

Green roofs are primarily a practice used to partially achieve water balance and erosion control objectives through interception and evapotranspiration of precipitation.

Ability of green roofs to meet SWM objectives

Water balance benefit	Water quality improvement	Erosion control benefit
Partial: Through interception and evapotranspiration	No: Green roof runoff may contain elevated concentrations of some contaminants, particularly dissolved Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Heavy metals.	Partial: Through interception and evapotranspiration

Controlled studies have indicated that maturing green roofs may have improved water retention properties .

The key hydrologic benefit which green roofs have over other forms of LID is the proportion of the water returned to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration.

• In Southern Ontario rainwater retention of extensive green roofs without irrigation is between 60% and 70% .
• Including winter periods with snow accumulation and thaw, the annual retention of extensive green roofs is around 50% .
• Using a compost based planting medium improves retention by around 10% (i.e., 60% for compost compared to 50% for granular).
• Daily irrigation can reduce the annual retention by 20% compared to a roof without irrigation (i.e., 40% for irrigated compared to 60% without irrigation). However, recirculating rainwater from a cistern was estimated to double the annual retention in Florida. The research team modelled 87% retention for a green roof coupled with a cistern, compared to 43% for the green roof alone.

An appropriate NRCS curve number for modelling green roofs without irrigation in Southern Ontario is 90 .

In a study to investigate how green roof runoff reduction performance is affected by climate, Talebi et al. (2019) used water balance and evapotranspiration models to simulate runoff produced by green roofs in six Canadian cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Toronto, London and Halifax). Results showed that predicted runoff reduction performance varied from 17% to 50% for low water use plants. The best performance was predicted to occur in Regina and Calgary (drier climates), while the poorest performance was predicted for Halifax and Vancouver (wetter climates). Average annual runoff reduction was highest in Toronto and London and lowest in Vancouver.

Water quality

Many green roofs receive only rainwater, which is relatively free of contaminants like nutrients and heavy metals, but can contribute contaminants to roof runoff, most notably through leaching of dissolved Nutrients and Heavy metals from the growing medium substrate during early establishment. Concentrations of Total Phosphorus in green roof runoff have been observed to vary from 0.4 mg/L to over 10 mg/L.. Such concentrations are well above the Ontario Provincial Water Quality Objective of 0.03 mg/L for Total Phosphorus (OMOEE, 1994) to control excessive plant growth in rivers and streams. To improve the quality of runoff from green roofs, Vijayaraghavan et al. (2018) recommend considering the sorption capacity of the growing medium substrate, the phytoremediation potential of plants, and incorporation of sorbent Additives to growing medium substrates.

In dense urban centres, green roofs are increasingly being used to receive irrigation from harvested rainwater. Current Ontario Building Code permits the use of rooftop runoff for landscape irrigation purposes, so long as it is 'free of solids'. A 'closed loop' system can be created by coupling a rainwater harvesting system with a green roof and harvesting and reusing roof runoff as a source of water for irrigation during dry periods, so the only water leaving the system is through evapotranspiration. This can prevent runoff from leaving the site and thereby prevent contaminant loading to the environment.

Total phosphorous concentrations reported in green roof runoff(abstracted from Hill 2017)

Incentives and credits

In Ontario

City of Toronto updated their Eco-roof incentive program in 2017. It now includes grants for green roof and cool roof structural assessments and is available to non-profit organizations.

LEED BD + C v.4

LEED offer a relatively large number of points for green roofs compared to other LID technologies.
Sustainable Sites: Open space (1 point)
This credit applies to accessible green roofs on tall buildings with little other outdoor space.
Sustainable Sites: site development - protect or restore habitat (up to 2 points)
This credit applies to green roofs planted with 'native and adapted vegetation' on tall buildings with little other outdoor space
Sustainable Sites: Heat island reduction (up to 2 points)
Green roofs are weighted as effectively as 'High-Reflectance' roofs in a simple calculation to determine the credit.

Sustainable sites: Rainwater management (up to 3 points)

• Two points (or 1 point for Healthcare) will be awarded if the project manages "the runoff from the developed site for the 95th percentile of regional or local rainfall events."
  
• Three points (or 2 points for Healthcare) will be awarded if the project manages "the runoff from the developed site for the 98th percentile of regional or local rainfall events."
  

OR

• For zero-lot-line projects only, 3 points (or 2 points for Healthcare) will be awarded if the project manages "the runoff from the developed site for the 85th percentile of regional or local rainfall events."

External links

• Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

Proprietary systems

In our effort to make this guide as functional as possible, we have decided to include proprietary systems and links to manufacturers websites.
Inclusion of such links does not constitute endorsement by the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program.
Lists are ordered alphabetically; link updates are welcomed using the form below.

• Ginkgo Sustainability
• LiveRoof
• Next Level Stormwater Management
• VitaRoofs
• Zinco

Green roofs gallery

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  Pond Road residence at York University, Toronto ON

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  Earth Rangers, Vaughan ON

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  A green roof at Lakeside Park, Mississauga ON.

Filter fabric that is installed to separate dissimilar soils and provide runoff filtration and contaminant removal benefits while maintaining a suitable rate of flow; may be used to prevent fine-textured soil from entering a coarse granular bed, or to prevent coarse granular from being compressed into underlying finer-textured soils.

Low Impact Development. A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

The accounting of inflow and outflow of water in a system according to the components of the hydrologic cycle.

The slow movement of water into or through a soil or drainage system.

Penetration of water through the ground surface.

The total mass of a pollutant entering a waterbody over a defined time period.

The net amount of something (e.g. chemical, such as phosphorus), calculated as the product of concentration and volume in a given time. Some BMPs significantly reduce loading of pollutants to the environment by reducing volume more so than concentration.

A thin layer of vegetation and growing medium installed on top of a conventional flat or sloped roof, also referred to as living roofs or rooftop gardens.

Human application of water to agricultural or recreational land for watering purposes. City of Toronto Wet Weather Flow Management November 2006 47

A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

Gravel, or crushed stone of various size gradations (i.e., diameter), used in construction; void forming material used as bedding and runoff storage reservoirs and underdrains in stormwater infiltration practices.

Gravel, or crushed stone of various size gradations (i.e., diameter), used in construction; void forming material used as bedding and runoff storage reservoirs and underdrains in stormwater infiltration practices.

The portion of water precipitated onto a catchment area, which then flows as surface discharge from the catchment area past a specified point.

Water from rain, snow melt, or irrigation that flows over the land surface.

(1) The wearing away of the land surface by moving water, wind, ice or other geological agents, including such processes as gravitation creep; (2) Detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by water, wind, ice or gravity (i.e. Accelerated, geological, gully, natural, rill, sheet, splash, or impact, etc).

Includes the protection of soil from dislocation by water, wind or other agents.

Human application of water to agricultural or recreational land for watering purposes. City of Toronto Wet Weather Flow Management November 2006 47

The practice of intercepting, conveying and storing rainwater for future use. Captured rainwater is typically used for outdoor non-potable water uses such as irrigation, or in the building to flush toilets.

Tank used to store rainwater (typically roof runoff) for later use.

Abiotic transfer of water vapour to the atmosphere.

A biological community, including humans and their natural environment.

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

A broad category of particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates, and available in various particulate size gradations.

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

A thin layer of vegetation and growing medium installed on top of a conventional flat or sloped roof, also referred to as living roofs or rooftop gardens.

The interception, storage and eventual evaporation of rainfall from vegetation canopies.

Any form of rain or snow.

Stormwater Management

The accounting of inflow and outflow of water in a system according to the components of the hydrologic cycle.

Includes the protection of soil from dislocation by water, wind or other agents.

The quantity of water transpired (given off). Retained in plant tissues, and evaporated from plant tissues and surrounding soil surfaces. Quantitatively it is usually expressed in terms of depth of water per unit area during a specified period. e.g. mm/day

The combined loss of water to the atmosphere from land and water surfaces by evaporation and from plants by transpiration.

Decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer. Compost helps to support healthy plant growth through the slow release of nutrients and the retention of moisture in the soil.

The total mass of a pollutant entering a waterbody over a defined time period.

The net amount of something (e.g. chemical, such as phosphorus), calculated as the product of concentration and volume in a given time. Some BMPs significantly reduce loading of pollutants to the environment by reducing volume more so than concentration.

Refers to the conditions in which an organism lives and survives or the conditions in which an organism resides. These conditions can be described as aspects of a “physical”, “social” or an “economic” environment, depending on the perspective perceived by the observer.

A body of water smaller than a lake, often artificially formed.

Relating to the properties, distribution and effects of water on and below the earth’s surface, and in the atmosphere.

The portion of water precipitated onto a catchment area, which then flows as surface discharge from the catchment area past a specified point.

Water from rain, snow melt, or irrigation that flows over the land surface.

Tank used to store rainwater (typically roof runoff) for later use.

Refers to the conditions in which an organism lives and survives or the conditions in which an organism resides. These conditions can be described as aspects of a “physical”, “social” or an “economic” environment, depending on the perspective perceived by the observer.