Axter Green roofs Roof gardens
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Roof gardens are primarily split into two categories: -

Intensive These are roof gardens in the traditional sense and in general provide space for people to live, work and play.
Extensive These are low maintenance roof gardens installed primarily for their visual appeal.

In general terms a green roof or roof garden is a roof with plants growing on its surface. This includes spontaneously occurring moss, lichen or sedum growth but more usually refers to specially designed planted roof coverings. Types of planted areas range from the visually attractive extensive roof gardens comprising mainly low nutrient requiring plants through to fully fledged intensive roof gardens incorporating amenity areas with trees, shrubs, lawns, walkways and hard landscaping features.

Depending upon the type of roof garden required the advantages include: -

• Use of roof area as additional space
• Visually attractive with a range or plants and foliage effects
• Low maintenance (extensive roofs only) with little or no artificial irrigation
• Improved rainwater management
• Improved thermal performance
• Reduction in sound transmission through the roof
• Improvement in air quality through absorption of carbon dioxide and release of oxygen
• Provision of habitat for wild life; particularly important in city centre developments.
• Reduces the environmental impact of the building within its surroundings

Many specifiers are wary of incorporating green roofs into their projects as they feel that the design issues are complicated and they do not fully understand the implications of that design.

Roof garden design comprises two main elements: -

1. the waterproofing, water management and root control
2. the horticultural landscaping.

Axter is the expert when it comes to the first of these issues having been involved in roof gardens for many years and is one of the few companies holding a certificate proving that their products have passed the German ten year in situ test. For horticultural landscaping Axter relies on specialist horticultural or landscape gardeners who have a particular expertise in the field. In giving recommendations as to the planting of a roof garden horticulturalists will give advice based on: the building's position, roof orientation, height of the roof above the ground, roof pitch, weight limitations, preferred planting, component sustainability, maintenance levels and performance required from the plant layer.

Axter's products have been used, in the UK, on such prestigious projects as follows: