How do rooftop gardens promote sustainability?
How do rooftop gardens promote sustainability? A layer of vegetation that grows on a roof is called a green roof, also known as a rooftop garden or a living roof. Due to their numerous advantages, green roofs have gained popularity in the United States.
There are a lot more uses for green roofs than just their aesthetic appeal. It is now common knowledge that planting in urban areas can lower temperatures and improve air quality; However, it is challenging to expand parks and natural areas due to a lack of space and high land prices. As a result, rooftop gardens have seen a rise in popularity in recent years, particularly in more developed and larger cities.
Rooftop gardens are a smart and quick way to get away from the city and enjoy a quiet oasis. They also look good and give you a great view. On the other hand, building rooftop gardens has a lot more impressive and significant advantages than just the ones that are purely aesthetic.
All new residential and commercial buildings must have at least a partial green roof, as mandated by French, Swiss, and Canadian laws. Even though we are still catching up with North America and Europe, this list of Australia’s best rooftop and verticle gardens demonstrates that the practice of incorporating green roofs into buildings has been around for some time in Australia.
By adopting the concept of growing crops on the highest levels of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings, rooftop gardens defy the notion that crops are grown in a farm or garden. To put it another way, artificial green spaces are created on top of these buildings by rooftop gardens. They are becoming increasingly popular in urban areas as a means of protecting the environment.
The primary objectives of the rooftop gardens are improved stormwater management, enhanced air quality, and lowering urban temperatures. They can also be turned into a play area, a place to grow food, a shade or shelter, a green space, or all of the above. You can get more information about rooftop gardens, including their history, energy-saving techniques, and overall advantages as green spaces on buildings’ roofs, here.
Rooftop gardens are derived from the Mesopotamian ziggurats built between 4000 and 600 BC, like most things from thousands of years ago. The stepped pyramid’s various levels were reached via a set of stairs built by the roof gardens around its perimeter. The ziggurat terrace, which did not have any rooms inside, provided visitors with a cool respite from the oppressive heat of Babylon.
One of the most well-known ancient gardens is the Babylonian Hanging Gardens, where the trailing plants reached a planted floor 75 feet above the ground. They were built by King Nebuchadnezzar for his wife Amytis, who had moved out of her Media, a mountainous city. They are possibly the most well-known roof gardens ever constructed and were an engineering marvel.
The garden’s weight was supported by 16-foot-thick arcades. It was irrigated by a complicated irrigation system that was fed by hidden machines. Eight feet below the roof garden, the water they used was pumped to the top of the Euphrates River.
After the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 covered Pompeii with feet of ash and pumice, a roof garden in the Villa of Mysteries was discovered. Due to the villa’s shape, the plants were grown directly on the roof’s soil. An arched stone colonnade supported the roof garden, which doubled as the social hub and outdoor living room.
It was Pope Pius II’s private summer home and was part of a larger development plan for his hometown of Pienza. The project was praised for its long-term success in creating an ideal town, making it the earliest example of town planning in Europe. The roof garden, built in 1463, had well-kept parterres and sculpted trees.
