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SEDUM ROOF

Advantages for climate AND THE environmenT

Sedum roofs are not just natural decoration. They are also a benefit for sustainable construction, which makes a difference for climate and environment.

The Urban Heat Island effect

Sedum roofs have several advantages for the local environment. One of the differences a sedum roof can make is in relation to the Urban Heat Island effect. Cities create and retain heat to a greater extent than the surrounding rural areas. This is because there is less vegetation and more dark surfaces, amongst other things. Green roofs, which cover black felt roofs, help to reduce the temperature in large cities. This allows the city to breathe.

Sedum roofs improve the air quality

Sedum plants on the green roofs have a purifying effect. Small particles from the air around the roofs are absorbed or decomposed by the plant tissue. Some particles stay on the plant surface, from where they are rinsed off into the ground, and converted into acids and salts.

Sedum roofs for biodiversity

We are currently seeing a lot of building activity in urban areas. However, the population movement from countryside to city is happening at the expense of habitats for insects, which can no longer access their pollen, for example. In populated places there are a lot of paved and asphalted areas. But insects need green areas, where wild flowers are allowed to grow. Although green roofs are not a habitat for insects, they are a source of food and nourishment.

Sedum roofs absorb rainwater

Sedum roofs absorb large quantities of rainwater. With increasing climate change, which produces larger quantities of annual precipitation, it’s important to build LRD – localised rainwater drainage – into new construction projects. There are increasingly large areas of cities covered by asphalt, slabs and roof surfaces, which do not absorb rainwater but, on the contrary, make it harder for the water to drain away. Green roofs are part of the solution for the wetter climate of the future.

Green roofs have long durability

Green roofs have a long life span. The organic roof remains attractive year after year, and has a life span of more than 50 years with correct operation and maintenance. Finally, a green roof has the advantage that it protects the underlying roofing felt from the sun’s decomposing UV rays, which prolongs the felt’s life span.

Read more about our access to sustainability here.

Better well-being from the sight of green roofs

Apart from the benefits of green roofs as a climate-friendly, sustainable and environmentally sound system solution, green surroundings also have benefits for our well-being. There has been significant research in recent years into the term Biophilia – the hypothesis that states that people’s well-being improves when nature becomes part of our near environment.

Many people feel that having green surroundings in sight reduces their stress level and increases their quality of life. Most people find it more agreeable, for example, to have views of green roofs in full bloom than black roof surfaces.

Sustainable construction and sustainable architecture is the future for all of us. Here you can find more info on our sedum roofs.

Sustainability made easy

Green roofs are an important part of sustainable construction, and we work continuously to improve our products’ profile. Products from Nature Impact are approved for use in buildings certified for Nordic Swan Ecolabel constructions, and our products also give points to the DGNB, amongst others. We have also drawn up EPDs for our sedum roofs.

The modern, sustainable roof solutions are easily accessible. Design and functionality are combined with a high level of aesthetic quality, which also makes the roofer’s job easier.

We have worked with leading Danish experts in hydraulics to design a module-based system that meets our high demands for erosion control. The module has been designed in such a way that it can be placed directly onto the underlying membrane and follow the contours of the roof.

The modules are placed close up with soil-to-soil contact on the building site. The plants will grow together across the trays. This ensures that gusts of wind do not affect our roofs, as a healthy and well-tended roof will grow into a coherent surface. This gives the roof a homogeneous appearance with no visible joints, and with correct maintenance the roof will stay attractive for many years.

Read more about Sedum Roofs here