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Green Roof Systems

Green Roof Systems
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Green Roof Systems

Product catalog summary
Overview
A Green Roof is a planting scheme established on a roof structure, popular in Europe and gaining traction in the UK. Icopal has refined Green Roof Design with lightweight systems, single-source supply, and longer roof life.
Key Benefits of Icopal Green Roof Systems
  • Lightweight systems reduce build costs.
  • Single source supply ensures compatibility and reliability.
  • Improves urban air quality and reduces noise levels.
  • Helps mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect.
  • Provides wildlife habitats and recreational areas.
Unique Features
The Icopal system uses Fytocell™, a lightweight substrate proven over 35 years, reducing structural load and irrigation needs. It offers guaranteed waterproofing integrity and a single-source supply for peace of mind.
Design Considerations
  • Structural roof decks must support additional loads.
  • Warm Roof: Insulation within waterproofing layers.
  • Cold Roof: Insulation below the structural deck.
  • Inverted Roof: Waterproofing below insulation, suitable for high loading areas.
Installation and Maintenance
Installation is by trained contractors, with electronic leak detection and insurance-backed guarantees up to 20 years. Maintenance guidelines ensure long-term performance.
Technical Specifications
Includes resistance to root penetration, mechanical damage, and ageing, with high load-bearing capacity and flexibility.
Overview of Roof Systems
This document provides detailed guidelines and specifications for the installation and maintenance of green roof systems, focusing on both extensive and intensive systems. It covers aspects such as roof slopes, drainage, wind action, detailing, safety, fire resistance, and irrigation.
Sloping Roofs
Extensive green roofs can be installed on slopes up to 30 degrees using shear battens and edge restraints. This allows for the creation of green spaces on inclined surfaces.
Roof Drains
Icopal Specialist Roof Outlets are recommended to prevent blockages from vegetation and soil. Inverted roof designs require drainage at both surface and waterproofing levels, especially in areas with restricted rainwater flow.
Wind Action
Landscaped roofs add weight to the structure, which helps resist wind action. Wind uplift pressures vary, being less at the center and more at the perimeters. Additional ballast may be needed in exposed locations to prevent soil or ballast movement.
Detailing
Waterproofing should be fully bonded in two layers, with upstands extending at least 150mm above the landscaped surface. Protection from vegetation growth is essential, using stainless steel protection kerbs or gravel borders.
Roof Safety and Awareness
Safety measures must be integrated into the design for roofs with recreational or maintenance access. This includes safe access, fire escape routes, edge protection, designated walkways, and anchorage points. Compliance with Health & Safety legislation is crucial.
Fire Resistance
The Icopal Rootbar Waterproofing System has a fire rating of FAA. Additional fire resistance can be achieved with stone chippings, ballast, and concrete paving slabs. Fire breaks and gravel strips around roof penetrations are recommended.
Irrigation
A water supply at roof level is essential for plant establishment and ongoing maintenance. Various irrigation systems are available to support plant growth during dry periods.
Extensive Green Roof Systems
These systems are decorative and ecological, with limited maintenance access. They have a shallow profile and are lighter than intensive systems. Roof falls of 1:60 are required for drainage. Sedum is a popular planting choice due to its drought tolerance.
Intensive Green Roof Systems
Designed for recreational use, these systems include features like paving and water features. They are deeper and heavier, requiring structural confirmation of load capacity. Roof falls of 1:60 are necessary for drainage.
Car Park and Hard Landscaping Systems
Icopal provides waterproofing and drainage systems for hard landscaping, with planting supplied by approved contractors. Integrated waterproofing allows for creative water features.
Maintenance Guidelines
Extensive green roofs require minimal maintenance once established, while intensive systems need more regular care due to their complex, soil-based structure.
Maintenance and Contractor Awareness
Green roofs require regular maintenance similar to conventional gardens. Contractors should be aware of the layered construction to avoid damage. Tools should not penetrate below the lightweight soil mix to prevent damage to the waterproofing. Avoid replacing designated plants with larger ones to prevent increased roof loading and potential damage to the waterproof membrane. Regular checks on drainage points are necessary to prevent blockages and flooding.
Plant Care and Safety
Plants should be kept pest and disease-free, with regular feeding and turf cutting. Safety measures, such as harnesses or safety rails, are mandatory for maintenance near roof edges. Irrigation is crucial during low rainfall and warm temperatures, and a suitable system should be installed during construction. Weed control is essential to prevent competition and ensure plant establishment.
Products and Accessories
Icopal offers specialized waterproofing products for green roofs, including Rootbar Cap Sheet and Underlay, Total Torch Vapour Dispersion Underlay, and Vapour Control Layer. These products provide root penetration resistance and waterproofing, with guarantees up to 20 years. Accessories like kerbs, outlets, and protection sheets are designed to withstand roof garden conditions.
Thermal Insulation and Accessories
Icopal's Thermazone insulation meets U-Value standards, offering thermal performance, dimensional stability, and resistance to microbial growth. Accessories include drainage boards, filter fleece, water reservoirs, and lightweight soil mixes to enhance water management and plant growth.
Installation and Technical Support
Icopal provides a single source for green roof installation, ensuring seamless integration of waterproofing and landscaping. Approved contractors maintain quality from specification to completion. Technical support is available for design and best practices, with detailed specifications and CAD drawings provided.
Technical Specifications
Products like the Icopal Protection Layer, Fytodrain Drainage Board, and Fytocell Water Reservoir are designed for efficient water management and protection of the waterproof membrane. Lightweight soil mixes and EPS filler blocks are used to optimize weight and support plant growth.
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Catalog excerpts

Green Roof Systems-1

Green Roof Systems CI/SfB 27.2 Icopal Ltd Barton Dock Road Stretford, Manchester Total building protection from a single source When you deal with Icopal you’ll enjoy all the advantages of sourcing a full range of top brand products from one supplier Protection for flat roofs Structural protection ■ Built up roof systems ■ Damp proof membranes ■ Single ply roof systems ■ Damp proof courses and Northern Ireland ■ Green roof systems ■ Liquid waterproofing systems ■ Fire protection roofing systems ■ Warm and cold pitched Protection for pitched roofs roof systems www.icopal.co.uk ■ Breather membranes ■ Vapour control layers ■ Non-permeable underlays Protection for people and the worksite living roof ■ Standard and fire retardant scaffold sheeting ■ Fall protection safety systems ■ Edge protection safety systems Sound protection ■ Acoustic systems Every effort has been taken in the preparation of this brochure to ensure the accuracy of representations contained herein. Recommendations as to the use of materials, construction details and methods of installation are given in good faith and relate to typical situations. However, every site has different characteristics and reliance should not be placed upon the foregoing recommendations. Advice can be given as to specific applications of the products, upon request. High performance green roof systems designed to deliver sustainable and environmentally considerate solutions

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Green Roof Systems-2

Green Roof Systems The Way Forward for Green Roof Technology Icopal Green Roof Systems: The Benefits A Green Roof is created when a planting scheme is established on a roof structure. The roof can ■ Lightweight systems - reduce build costs. Icopal: A World Class Resource, Available Locally ■ Single source supply - removes the Icopal is the world leader in building protection be located anywhere from ground level, usually with an underground car park beneath, to a residential or commercial roof many storeys high. The technique is well established in continental Europe and is now growing fast in...

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Green Roof Systems-3

Green Roof Systems The Unique Icopal Approach Waterproofing Guaranteed up to 20 years High Performance in Two Key Layers performance characteristics and the relationship between the various integrated elements. The Icopal team will help you achieve this from the outset with a complete support programme: To complete the Icopal quality chain and give improving drainage, Fytocell™ supports healthy complete peace of mind, the waterproofing plants, helping to increase their tolerance element of every system is supported by a comprehensive range of insurance backed ■ A 100mm Fytocell™ Water Reservoir...

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Green Roof Systems-4

Green Roof Systems Designing the Right Green Roof System When designing a Green Roof System, it is vitally important to understand the characteristics of Inverted Roof each element within the system, and in particular the impact on the structural and waterproofing This design positions the waterproofing layers directly above the structural deck and below the impervious high density extruded polystyrene thermal insulation layer. An inverted roof system can withstand very high loading and is the preferred option for trafficked and hard landscaped areas. elements of the roof construction. Design...

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Green Roof Systems-5

Green Roof Systems Designing the Right Green Roof System Roof Falls Wind Action Roof Safety and Awareness Fire Resistance The falls under an Icopal Green Roof System Landscaped roofs provide additional dead When a Green Roof has access for either The Icopal Rootbar Waterproofing System should be designed in the same way as a weight to the roof structure. This mass must be recreation or for maintenance, it is imperative has been designated a fire rating FAA when normal roof construction, providing adequate adequate to resist the action of the wind, which that safety measures are addressed during...

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Green Roof Systems-6

Green Roof Systems Extensive Systems Extensive Green Roof Systems are generally intended to be viewed from another location as a Icopal Green Roof landscaping components see pages 26/27. Typical Icopal Extensive Meadow System decorative/ecological feature. They are not normally used as a recreational space to be walked through or sat in and often have limited access for maintenance only. Extensive systems Meadow Planting generally have a shallow profile (approx 100 - 200mm deep) and are much lighter in weight than ROOF FALLS Icopal Lightweight Soil Mix Containing Fytocell™ Flakes - 150/200mm...

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Green Roof Systems-7

Green Roof Systems Intensive Systems Intensive systems are designed to be used as recreational spaces and often involve features similar Icopal Green Roof landscaping to traditional gardens including paving, water features, lawns, shrubs and trees. Icopal will supply a complete waterproofing / garden roof solution including hard landscaping, planting and turf. ROOF FALLS Roof Loading These must provide adequate Although the use of Fytocell™ technology brings down the overall weight of all Icopal Intensive drainage to remove excess water Green Roof Systems, these systems are much deeper than Extensive...

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Green Roof Systems-8

Green Roof Systems Intensive Systems Cont. Typical Tree Pits with Turf and Icopal EPS Filler Blocks Tree Anchors In this example a tree, which requires greater soil depth, is planted within a shallower system of turf and shrubs using Icopal EPS Filler Blocks to bring the soil surface to the same level. This saves weight as the Icopal EPS Filler Blocks are lighter than the soil mix and is also a generally more cost effective solution under both planted areas and paving. These are used to support larger trees and consist of eyebolts and guy lines securely fixed into independent kerbs which are...

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Green Roof Systems-9

Green Roof Systems Car Park and Hard Landscaping Systems Typical Icopal Green Roof with Car Park Surface Icopal will supply deck waterproofing and Icopal Green Roof landscaping drainage systems. Hard landscaping and any associated planting is supplied by an Alumite Cavity Tray approved landscape contractor. Pressed Metal Flashing Expansion Joint Icopal Thermaweld Capsheet Icopal Venting Base Layer Mechanical Fixing Finish Surface Concrete Render on Mesh Concrete Deck Typical Icopal Green Roof Paved Area with Adjoining Turf 300mm Gravel Border (Optional) Turf Kerb Paving Slabs or Blocks Sand Bedding...

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