Green roofs positively impact environments. In cities, they introduce vegetation and birds while absorbing heat and water. They transform concrete, asphalt, and pipe rooftops into green respites of sanctuary and recreation.

ASTM Subcommittee E06.71 on Sustainability has worked to improve eco-systems since 1998. Its sustainable-building standards recommend energy efficiency through smarter building design and choice of materials. By promoting greener buildings, the subcommittee attempts to improve environmental systems locally and globally.

Subcommittee E06.71 approved a Green Roof Task Group in October, during meetings of ASTM Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings in Dallas. Horticulturists, architects, manufacturers of green-roof systems, roofing specialists, corporate stakeholders, and scientists from Michigan, Rice, and Penn State universities are among those who joined the new task group.

Standards they develop will cover guidance for green roof design and construction. “Basically the concept is to create something on the roof that is living, that is vegetation of some kind,” said the task group chairman, Michael F. Gibbons, FCSI, Architectural Systems, Inc., Dallas, Texas. “It doesn’t have to be a garden; it doesn’t have to just be grass. It can be a combination of things.” Gibbons said green-roof landscaping can provide a putting green for golfers, a rest area for hospital patients, or a break area for business professionals.

“The concept is to create an inhabitable space with life on it. It could be a golf course, a garden, or landscaping,” he explained. “Or it could just be grass or wild sedum and moss.”

Green roofs support aesthetically pleasing plant life typically installed on flat or sloped roofs. As well as plant life, components of a green roof usually include a waterproofing membrane, vapor barrier or retarder, thermal insulation, flashings and a system to both retain water and facilitate drainage.

Standards developed by the task group may cover roofing and waterproofing materials, plant growth, soil, drainage, and energy efficiency.

Interested parties are welcomed to participate in this activity. Contact Michael F. Gibbons, FCSI, Architectural Systems, Inc., Dallas, Texas (phone: 972/960-8726). ASTM Committee E06 meets April 14-17 in Pittsburgh, Pa. For membership or meeting details, contact Steve Mawn, manager, ASTM Technical Committee Operations (phone: 610-832-9726) //

Copyright 2002, ASTM