Can roof of houses be used as green lawns or for cultivation of vegetables, flowers or orchids.?

Question

As we are living in the society with the shortage of space, short income and facing problems of pollution. It can help us to provide some space to cultivate and decorate our houses more n more. I do request you to participate and answer actively with valueable suggestion. And tell how it can be done successfully.

Answer 1

PERMACULTURE ANSWER

Yes most certainly and it is called living roofs.
and is a great solution to utilizing space as well as insulation against either heat or cold ,for the accomodations, green lawns is extravegant unless you got a goat grazing up there (got friends in south Africa who got that)

It means slightly different construction with concrete roofs at a very gentle slope (for drainage)
damp coursing the concrete with black plastic,(Although the Aztezs used moss)
installing irrigation systems.and leaving easy ways up to the roof ,with ramps

The walls and reinforced corner pillars must be of sufficiant strengh to support the extra weight ,as should the cross beams under the roof .
If you decide to go the full living roof way
which means at least 1/4 of a meter of soil to support the weight of the wet soil.
No more than 3 stories is recommended before doing the living roof .

have the slope in a Northern direction to make full use of the sun(depending which hemisphere you are in,,and so that you could also incorporate solar panels.

But you can also put lots of flowerpots up if you just want some flowers ,standing on planks (the simple small way)

URBANISATION IN A SUSTAINABLE ,AUTOSUFICIENT & HEALTHY MANNER

Why this is recomended

They did some experiments with rats in highrise building conditions and after the 3rd story they began to get weird
by the time they were on twenty they went insane and ate their own babies .

this gives you some idea what the bosses must be like in the penthouse offices

So 3 stories is a reasonable healthy hight for humans they have discovered BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

so we cannot put to many people on top of each other
technically it is an impossible task to ensure a continues supply of good air for everybody
and the mental effects are drastic ,
but we can blend people into and under the landscape
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A REVOLUTIONARY BEAUTIFUL SOLUTION

there is an Architect who designed a city in China that blended totally into the landscape ,the farmland ending on top of all the equal level roofs ,with the farmers moving about on bridges

All the rooms would have the sun at least once a day,The city to utilize all their own byproducts as gas for cooking or compost
With solar energy to power the lot

The land above would produce all the food and meat for the city

A totally auto sufficient concept ,with agriculture build in in a sustainable way.

Very technical and advanced
it is talked about on this youtube at the end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo
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AGRO URBANIZATION

So the answer is urbanization incorporated with agriculture
Aggro urbanization,coupled to Aggro forestry.
food and animals with in forests
and people hidden 3 levels underneath the farms ,all housing having what is called living roofs(have done some myself with pasture and goats on the roof ,and seen many of these) ,with pasture and vegetables ,this would also keep the dwellings cool.

IN THE PAST
Montezuma looked out of his window one day and saw all his peasants in huts of adobe as a blemish on his panorama ,and he ordered the people to hide themselves beneath beautifull flowers (deoderant was not so big in those days),and so the central Americans were motivated to build living roofs ,turning their village in to a garden with themselves hidden with in ,So the idea is by no means original
Babylon was doing very similar things using sophistcated building methods and stone

This concept can spread into the country with out depleting it
leaving room for expansion
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PERMACULTURE

It is a collection of sustainable ideas from around the world coupled to present level of knowledge
ideally suited for those who want to get back to the country and build a autosuficient situation for themselves and the family or a comunity .

People plant rather for the quality of life and to feed their families, than for the market ,so the motivation and the manner are totally different from ordinary agriculture .

Although the basic concept of Permaculture also applies to Organic and sustainable farming,

Utilising soil manegement ,and mulching
Building soil instead of diminishing it
Using organic pest control instead of chemicals
Harvesting water instead of depleting sub teranean reservoirs
Planting in guilds and bio diverse to ensure healthy chemical balances with in the soil,and cut down on possibilities for pests


The utilization of space is more concentrated ,thinking in cubic and vertical terms instead or merely horizontal on the plain ,

Having many principle to follow such as utilizing all resoures and following and enhancing energy flows ,
Intelligence in design
For example the ditch around the house catches the rain water and leads it through the chicken house where it cleans and picks up the manure to deposit it in the vegetable patch


Permaculture means permanent agriculture
a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s

Which offers practical solutions for energy systems ,infrastructure ,inteligent design in housing,
animal shelter ,water systems and sustainable agricultural practises.
With the world and it`s history as it`s source
From the chinampas of Mexico to the teraced gardens of the Andes.
From the dessert whadis to the steppes of Russia.
Covering all climatic conditions temporal, dessert, humid and dry tropics.
with chapters on soil ,Water harvesting and land design,Bio diversity
Earth working ,Spirals in nature,Trees and water ,utilizing energy flows,
Strategy for an alternative nation

The Permaculture designers manual by Bill Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get,on Environmental design,.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])
this book also has many gardening tips,bio-gas,companion planting and ideas for structures ,how to cool down houses in hot climates ,how to warm up houses in cold climates with out using technology but rather by design.

Some other writers that are on the internet are
david Holmgren
Larry Santoyo
Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,
One-Straw Revolution
The Road Back to Nature
The Natural Way of Farming
other permaculture links in Yahoo are

RELEVANT LINKS
choosing a site
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An5GAG03Te7IFEFaD1XTwkfsy6IX?qid=20070711193404AAGQlW7
counter acting erosion


water harvesting
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkTtZUqUv24Niz3SZpiQwwDsy6IX?qid=20070711073352AAC2rFu

biodiversity
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqAAgMSofLbdQp1_BVfwobHsy6IX?qid=20070707014523AAOlanB


the rippling effect
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvwaHVtzogdsI8MrfMcvhaHsy6IX?qid=20070706214424AAjgbuz


organic pest control & growing your own food

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AoFYFzd.XV6vN1ZIOjSXYqLty6IX?qid=20070528180353AAxQuAm
Intelligence in design
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnbH340LQT7JkrVXb4lnBBPsy6IX?qid=20070709124111AAW92a2
similar question
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsAkUP9fx0.uC7LWjeN0m9vsy6IX?qid=20070724014844AARvNjP

Answer 2

You need to be able to seal your roof completely so that it does not start to leak and cause waste of an entire home. Also be careful of the total weight going onto the structure as most homes are not designed for it.
If you are building from scratch I suggest using rammed earth construction (very environmentally freindly and heat effecient. Then use engineered beams to hold up a stronger structural roof and make sure it is well sealed from water (get an architect to help here I am not sure of the best materiels)

Answer 3

Roof gardens are not new, indeed had they survived from the ancient past, we would be able to observe that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were in fact an enormous series of roof gardens.

Roof gardens are quite common here in London where I live. On of the most famous but least known of is the roof garden on top of the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster. It's private and for MPs and their guests only. But there it is, built and ready for use from the 1830s.

New York City is famous for it's roof gardens, high up mostly, especially surrounding Central Park where some of the more expensive residences have roof gardens.

If you visit Reykjavik in Iceland, you'll see many of the houses have turf on top. You'd expect the usual tin roof, but no, what you'll see is green growing turf. There's Viking for you! That and lofts and real eiderdown.

Landscape Gardener London, Contemporary Gardens London, Roof ...Harlequin Landscapes- specialist Landscape Gardener London, Contemporary Gardens London, Roof Gardens London, Garden Designer London, Landscaper London.
http://www.harlequinlandscapes.com

Roof garden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA roof garden is any garden on the roof of a building. ... Greenhouse in the Sky · Website with pictures of roof gardens in London · Website with North ...
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roof_garden

Epsilon Undergraduate Thesis Archive - Roof gardens in New York - This study is about roof gardens in New York City. The purpose of the project was to study the design of roof gardens in a place where these have a long ...
http://www.ex-epsilon.slu.se/archive/00000142

Roof gardens in New York :The first part, called Field Study, is a report from the study of roof gardens on Manhattan, New York City. The design and impression of 39 gardens are each ...
http://www.arc.cs.odu.edu:8080/dp9/getrecord/oai_dc/epsilonex.OAI2/oai:epsilonex.OAI2:142

Talking: Roof Gardens; Nurture All Plans Cautiously - New York TimesOUTDOOR recreational space has always been special to New Yorkers because it ... of the Council of New York Cooperatives was "Landscaping and Roof Gardens. ...
http://www.query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7D81238F930A15751C0A964958260

Answer 4

If you have a flat roof, you could create a roof garden. However, soil and pots are heavy items, could add a lot of extra weight for your roof rafters to carry. Get ideas from what other people have done with similar buildings to yours

Answer 5

Yes, definitely.

The main concern is that the roof can support the extra weight and that you can get up and down safely without falling off the roof..

Answer 6

Yes, you can put a garden on your roof.

You have to have the roof reinforced for the weight and for your walking on it on a regular basis... the average house roof isn't made for it.

Answer 7

If your roof can support the weight. A gallon of water weighs 7.5 pounds. I don't do it because I have solar panels on my roof.

Answer 8

right! If you have a flat roof you can use pots.

Answer 9

thats a good idea