Sod Roof Projects

Single Family Home

• Private single-family homes can certainly utilize this Earth-friendly type of roofing. Tar and roofing material is unnecessary for this type of roof. Felt paper replaces tar and roof shingles and then 1-inch sod is laid. Be sure to allow for drainage. Place netting over the sod to keep it in place initially. Any type of home can use sod or green roofing. Flat roofs will need gravel and slight pitching, or slope, for water drainage. Add a sprinkler system for simple upkeep after laying the sod.

Commercial

• Commercial buildings from skyscrapers to boutique hotels are other types of buildings that can use a sod roof. Water proofing membranes are added to commercial roofs before the sod is laid. The Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C. created a sod roof project to grown herbs within its urban location. The 150 feet square roof of the outdoor serving area grows blueberry, rosemary, chives and basil. Other buildings with sod or plants growing from the roofs include Taiwan's China Trust Bank Complex and America's tallest skyscraper, the Willis Tower in Chicago, which reduced its electricity usage by 80 percent and its water consumption by 40 percent after installing a sod roof.

Tests

• Test sod roofs are small trial projects using this kind of technology. Schoolchildren can experiment with the roofing style in an outdoor classroom setting, using a sod roof over a playhouse or garden shed. Teachers and children will observe the benefits of having a green roof. Homeowners and business owners can test out small roof top gardens to learn about drainage or building challenges with sod roofs. Even with small test gardens, the plants attract birds and butterflies, and outdoor temperatures surrounding the area will decrease because of the reduction of concrete and other manufactured materials.

Government

• Washington, D.C. alone has installed 33,500 square feet of green roofs on its government buildings as of time of publication, and the city has won the 2008 Civic Award of Excellence from Green Roof for Healthy Cities of North America. Sod or green roofs reduce storm water run off and reduce acid rain. Government buildings undergoing green roof conversion at time of publication include Minnesota's Benning Government Center, and Ward One Senior Wellness Center in Washington, D.C.