Having grass growing on your roof by choice may seem weird or unconventional to some folks, but living roofs of various types are practical and provide several benefits (depending on how intensive you want to use your roofing space). Living roofs (1) function as a sponge by absorbing extra storm water runoff, therefore reducing the load of runoff and pollutants entering into sewer overflows and aquatic environments; (2) increase green space in cities and suburbs; (3) operate as natural air filtration and carbon sequestering systems; (4) provide space to grow “fruits, vegetables, and flowers”; (4) offer excellent insulation by reducing “heating (by adding mass and thermal resistance value) and cooling (by evaporative cooling) loads on a building;” (5) reduce noise pollution; and (6) help provide an aesthetically and psychologically pleasing environment.

Some day, I want to incorporate some type of living or grass roof into my home, since a grass roof is practical, looks nice, and improves the human and natural environment by increasing green space in a world where green spaces are increasingly becoming gobbled up. In some parts of the world, living roofs work so well that they’re part of the local architecture and culture. Here are some examples of commercial, educational, governmental, and residential buildings with living green roofs from around the world.

China

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Faroe Islands (partially controlled by Denmark)

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Iceland

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Ireland

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Japan

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Mexico

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Netherlands

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Norway

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Portugal

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United States

California

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Illinois

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Michigan, Ford’s Rouge factory

Images found here, here, and here.

New York, New York in lower Manhattan (very inspiring)

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Wisconsin

Photo source for attribution here and here

Get started with your living roof:

1. Greenroofs.com: The Resource Portal for Green Roofs
2. Roofscapes, Inc.: Green roof system design and installation
3. Instant Grass Roof Possible with Turf Tiles by Toyota Roof Garden (subsidiary of the car company)
4. MythBusters: Debunking Green Roof Myths

The authors or licensors of these images do not endorse my work or me and their images are protected under an attribution license.

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