Tag: living walls

House building technology is ever growing and changing, sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with the new methods and options available to the custom home builder.  Two terms that have been thrown around lately are “green wall” and “green roof”.  Today, we’ll take a quick look at what exactly is a green wall and if there any notable benefits for home owners in South Texas.

Green Wall

A green wall (also known as a living wall) is a wall that is covered first in a growing material such as soil that then seeded or planted with plants that either fully or partially cover it.  Green walls are typically built with a watering system integrated into the design.  Found outdoors and indoors, green walls can be attached to existing walls or can stand on their own and come in all shapes and sizes.  Green walls are popular for public spaces, but are also becoming an attractive and eco-friendly home feature.

Green Roof

A green roof (also known as a living roof) may just look like a rooftop garden but it is actually specially engineered to be able to support the weight, life, and growth of plants.  Coming in three categories: intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive, green roofs come on a scale of difficult to maintain to self-sustaining and practically maintenance free.

Benefits

Green walls and roofs are a way to replace lost greenery in urban settings.  This can reduce air pollution, and help keep cities cooler.  Dense urban areas tend to be hotter than rural areas and green walls and roofs absorb heat from the sun instead of re-emitting it.  Green roofs and walls also absorb and filter rainwater, this decreases surface runoff which reduces flooding and helps to keep pollutants out of water reservoirs.  A green roof is a great insulator because it keeps a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer, this means that your house won’t require as much energy to heat and cool it.

If you’re interested in learning more about green walls and roofs, talk to your custom home builder.  They’ll know how to strengthen your home’s structure to support the additional weight of a green roof, or where a green wall would work well in your home.