Regarding your concerns re: consequences of a living roof on a new museum,
the new Canadian War Museum building currently under construction in Ottawa
Canada is going to have just such a living roof covering about 50-60% of the
building.
We have been told that with the appropriate protective membranes that there
should be no problems with leaks (and even if it does most of our
collections are at least 1 to 2 floors below this roof and that any leaks
would affect only the office area - not that there will be any!), that we
will actually save money on the heating and cooling as this grass roof is
energy efficient and low maintenance. From our brocure on the new building
"The environmentally sensitive landscaped roof is both low-maintenance and
self-seeding."
I'm also including some information I've read on grass roofs:
With a properly constructed grass roof using a series of carefully
engineered layers it can work: a water- and root-repellent membrane is
installed on top of a reinforced roof structure, a drainage layer separates
growing material from the underlying membrane, a filter cloth keeps the
drainage layer from getting plugged by the growing medium, which constitutes
the top layer. This growing medium is designed to be as light as possible
and still support plant growth. And there are supposed to be long term
savings which can offset the cost of installing a green rooftop. Green
rooftops last twice as long as standard roofs, reducing maintenance and
replacement costs. They also muffle sound, creating a more efficient work
environment, and then there are the environmental benefits; they capture and
filter air pollutants and retain as much as 50 percent to 70 percent of the
storm water that they capture, this reduces storm water contamination and
the risk of flooding, plus a grass rooftop supposedly can't get any hotter
than about 77 degrees. This innovative technology can help relieve city smog
and cut energy consumption. With enough green roofs, the temperature of an
entire city can decrease. A 3- to 7-degree temperature drop translates to a
10 percent reduction in air conditioning requirements. For a one-story
structure with a green rooftop, cooling costs can be cut by 20 percent to 30
percent.
And if you are intereste to see what our new grass roof is supposed to look
like click on the links to the new Canadian War Museum I've included below;
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/new/brochure_cwm_en.pdf
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/new/ca_bldge.html
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/cwme.asp
We are told that the grasses that will be used to cover the roof will be
native grasses already in use in the Ottawa area for landscaping and that
they are slow growing and don't get particularily tall, that the roof would
only have to be mowed once or twice a year!
I'm actually looking forward to seeing the completed building - already it
is fantastic to see and construction is not due to finish until later this
year.
Carol Reid
Collections Manager, Archives
Canadian War Museum
330 Sussex Drive,
Ottawa, ON, Canada,
K1A 0M8
www.warmuseum.ca
tel: (819) 776-8661
fax: (819)776-8657
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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