Green Roofs in Sustainable Landscape Design

A popular design trend, green roofs make private and public buildings inviting and environmentally friendly. Green roofs offer many aesthetic benefits as well as environmental ones. Landscape architect Steven Cantor gives the basic terminology of green roof design, defines the green roof types, reviews materials of construction and methods of installation, and explores sixty projects in detail, identifying the design process, the program for the project, and the specific application of green roof design and technology. He gives design professionals and students a thorough introduction to the applications and impacts of green roofs on the built environment and shows how they can be integrated into contemporary buildings as well as existing structures. Green roofs can be considered as integral elements of the potential design vocabulary that any designer might use—like water features, paving patterns or retaining walls—in the right setting with an appropriate budget and the support of a client.