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Green Roofing

Mark Fessler, Vice President of Low Slope Marketing at GAF

BOM: The pioneers who settled the Great Plains built their homes with sod because it was abundant and free. The roofs may have leaked back then, but the ’soddies’ were warm in winter and cool in summer.
"Well, everything old is new again. Modern Green Roofing technology has blossomed in recent years. A number of cities, such as Chicago, Atlanta and Albuquerque, have major municipal projects in place promoting and utilizing Green Roofing. Replacing the urban sea of heat-sinking concrete, asphalt and gravel roofs with elevated parkland isn’t just the wave of the future, it’s the here and now. "Our guest today is Mark Fessler, Vice President of Low Slope 0Marketing at GAF." GAF Materials Corporation, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, has been manufacturing high-quality roofing systems since 1886.

Thanks for being here, Mark. By today’s standards, how is Green roofing defined?

Fessler: Green roofing can be defined in many different ways. We, at GAF describe "Green" roofing as being made up predominantly of four major roofing systems: recyclable, reflective, solar and garden . These roofs

BOM: Could you explain exactly what a garden roofing system is?

Fessler: Sure. Garden roof systems consist of low slope roofs with plants. In one form or another, they have been around for centuries, predominately in Europe. They have seen significant growth in the past few decades in Europe and have just recently become more popular in the U.S. This is due to increased environmental awareness, rising energy costs, storm water run off problems and government incentives to reduce the heat generated by urban buildings.

BOM: What benefits can property owners expect from installing a garden roof system?

Fessler: Energy savings is a major driver for considering and eventually installing any "Green" roofing system. Garden roofs are no exception. Recent studies have confirmed that garden roof systems can save property owners up to 15% of energy costs for heating and cooling their facilities. This is due to the insulating and cool roofing benefits of the vegetative layer in the garden roof primarily keeping the building cooler in the summer.
Also, garden roofs are effective storm water management systems. They intercept and delay the run-off of rain water that can lead to overloading existing, antiquated city sewer systems. Rather than spending millions (or billions) in retrofitting inadequate sewer systems, cities are choosing to offer incentives to property owners to install garden roofs. As an example, some local governments will allow the opportunity to build on a larger building footprint or add square footage onto new or existing properties if you put in a garden roof because a garden roof may be used in lieu of a retention pond which can take up valuable real estate. Additionally, in areas where retention ponds cannot be used, square footage in the form of additional floors may be added to a building to augment overall permitted space.
More examples of how state and local governments are promoting the use of garden roofs include tax incentives, rebates, and in some cases expedited permitting, while other industry drivers such as gaining LEED accreditation are factors in making garden roofs more attractive to property owners.
Installation of a garden roof has been shown to dramatically extend the life of overall roofing systems. Since the roofing membrane is protected from weathering elements, damaging UV radiation and foot traffic, some systems have experienced extended lifetimes in places such as Europe more than double the normal expectancy.

BOM: How do you go about building a garden roof, Mark?

Fessler: Garden roofs are vegetative roof systems which generally include plants, a growing medium, drainage systems, and a water proofing layer. Garden roof systems are most commonly defined as intensive (meaning deep, heavy growth systems) or extensive (light-weight sedum vegetative planting coverage systems). There are different methods to construct a garden roof but they all include layered, built-up system. More recently, tray systems have been introduced. Up until now, garden systems have been custom-designed and constructed which has made them labor intensive and expensive.
GAF designed and launched GardenScapes because we feel garden roofs are moving into a new stage where the market is ready for a standardized system that produces economies of scale and simplifies the process. As an analogy, think back to when cars were custom-built. They were complex to design, difficult to build and maintain, and expensive. Then along came Henry Ford who revolutionized the industry with a simple, hassle-free design and assembly process. We all know what happened after that… Similarly, we consider GardenScapes’ simple, yet effective, design as being a catalyst for the growth of the garden roofing industry in the U.S.

BOM: OK, I can see that there are both environmental and property benefits to garden roofs. How about drawbacks? And how does GAF’s GardenScapes system address them?

Fessler: Good question. We’ve identified three common pitfalls and hassles associated with many garden roofing systems and designed our GardenScapes system to eliminate these issues:

Major Hassle #1: Complicated, ineffective designs… Built-up garden roof systems can have up to 8 different components, or layers (not including the roofing membranes!), that can be time-consuming and difficult to install. If installed improperly, the result can be poor performance or even system failure. With GAF’s GardenScapes garden roof system, a simple, effective design is employed featuring only four components:

1. Your choice of GAF’s field-proven single-ply TPO or multiple-ply TriPositeXL roofing systems for its reliable waterproofing ability. No other manufacturer offers you more waterproofing choices for your garden roof.
2. Our exclusive DuraGro 4-in-1 drainage foundation system replaces multiple layers of materials in other systems. It protects the roofing membrane from direct contact with the growing medium. It retains just enough water to help keep the plants from drying out – while slowing the drainage of excess water into the storm sewers, and it helps to screen the drain water to keep the DuraGro system from clogging.
3. Start-Rite Growing Medium which is a custom formulated blend and designed for your specific geographic location. It includes a special organic superfood that promotes fuller, faster plant growth, and to help improve the quality of your runoff water, it even includes a unique carbon filtering compound, and
4. Hearty regional vegetation which is chosen to suit your specific climate and to meet your personal taste or landscaping objectives.

Major Hassle#2: Multiple unaffiliated contractors … Most garden roof suppliers utilize different installers such as roofing contractors, landscapers, etc. which can lead to long installation times and business interruptions for the property owner. With GAF’s GardenScapes garden roof system, your complete garden roof system, from the waterproofing system to the plants, is installed quickly and efficiently by a factory-certified GardenScapes installer. This minimizes overall installation time and hassles for the property owner.
Major Hassle #3: Multiple guarantee sources … If you have a problem, who do you turn to? The roofing manufacturer? The plant supplier? The contractor(s)? Will they even be in business in a few years … much less twenty years or more from now? The GardenScapes system is installed by certified contractors and provides property owners with a single contact to call. The single source guarantee from GAF Materials Corporation – North America’s largest and most-trusted roofing manufacturer–covers your complete garden roof system. Our guarantee covers the membrane as well as your plants during the critical early stages of growth when a maintenance contract is purchased. GAF stands behind its certified contractors.
At GAF, we have studied European systems and designed a system based on lessons learned over decades of green roofs in Europe is an important point that should not be lost. Our systems start with TPO (even TriPosite system uses TPO) which is a proven performer in Europe. GardenScapes is built on our experience as one of the leading providers of TPO roofs to commercial buildings.

BOM: Changing the roofing system is obviously a big decision. How can property owners determine if a garden roof is right for their building?

Fessler: GAF wants to help property owners make the best choice of roofing solution for their needs. In order to find out if a garden roof is right for you, we can consult with an owner or architect to explain the benefits of our system. GAF believes that the GardenScapes system is a property owner’s best and safest choice for hassle-free garden roofing.

BOM: Thanks, Mark.

Our guest today has been Mark Fessler, Vice President of Low Slope Marketing at GAF. For more information, click on the text link or More Info button on this page, or visit GAF at www.gaf.com.
Thanks for listening. This has been Take 5.