Build Above Roof Garden (Roof Garden)

To help prevent or reduce the pace of global warming, adding to the green open space with a garden on the roof of houses, buildings, hotels and offices is one effective way. Although the condition of the urban region largely filled by a high rise building, the designers (architects, and landscape architects) to create a green open space to add plants that have been taken over when the building was constructed.

By creating a garden on the roof, high-rise buildings can still have a green open space, because there is space efficiency. Garden on the roof (roof garden) is as an alternative reforestation to improve the quality of the environmental health of a large city. Currently, only some five-star hotel in central Jakarta which has a garden on the roof (roof garden).

Making the garden on the roof (roof garden) is not cheap and need structure and specific roof construction. Even for optimal results, the construction of the roof for the garden was designed from the beginning, before the building was constructed. However, this investment can come back in a few years later, because the cost of electricity for air conditioning is reduced, and building economic value added.

A private hospital in Singapore succeeded in reducing electricity consumption by 50 percent, after making a garden on the roof (roof garden). Although the roof garden was just a tomato plant, which is placed in the pot to cover the entire roof. Another advantage, the hospital did not have to buy tomatoes again.

In addition to the shade, the garden on the roof (roof garden) can also be used to absorb toxic gases. For example, bamboo or palm can absorb formaldehyde gas and gasoline. While the lily plant, in addition to absorb formaldehyde gas and gasoline, alcohol and acetone also absorb the resulting paint and so on. Vines also serves to absorb gases acetate, ammonia and other gases. Because of this function, the vines have been used to park on the roof (roof garden) in foreign countries such as Singapore and Japan.

How To Build A Roof Garden Above

Before making a rooftop garden, first consider the construction of the roof of the building. Is it designed to support the burden of growing media in the form of land and trees will be planted on it or not. Because the garden on the roof (roof garden) should be supported structure and strong roof construction.

The existence of the park on the roof (roof garden) will lead to increasing burden. Heaps of soil and plants will increase the dead load, wind load, and additional water load on the roof of the building. The building must have a drainage system that works well.

If the type of shrubs to be planted, he figures the roof load will increase about 650 kg/m2. Plus more for live load according to activity on the roof garden. For example, 400 kg/m2 for sports, 500 kg/m2 to party and dance, as well as 250 kg/m2 for restaurants.

To plant a large tree, the location of the floor plate to be supported slab of concrete structural columns that do not collapse. In addition, the retaining wall needs to be made because the trees require adequate soil thickness, or make a hole in the roof of the building, under a tree.

Construction of the roof leak-prone, so it must be equipped with drainage channels. Drainage layer such as gravel, sand, and pumice stones should be added so that water easily flows into the drain hole. Filters are made of geo textile or fibers to function under water to hold a grain of soil but not to clog the drain holes.

To prevent damage to the waterproof coating (water proof layer), barrier layer must be added to the plant roots do not damage the waterproof coating and the concrete underneath.

Because the plants on the roof exposed to direct sunlight and the wind faster, watering should be done regularly. So we need water spraying can be done manually or automatically.

For the planting medium, the formula should be light but has the ability to provide nutrients and moisture. For example, by mixing sand with wood shavings plus a layer of pine bark and manure. The depth of planting medium for grass requires 20 to 30 centimeters, as well as cover crops. Meanwhile, shrubs and small trees require a depth of 60-105 centimeters. A large tree to a depth of nearly 2 meters.