by whose standards do you mean 'green enough'? and what do you mean by green materials? some roof membranes marketed as contributing to a building's 'green-ness' provide other measurable benefits, but aren't always exactly environmentally friendly in their manufacturing process.

Not for a flat roof, but would a metal roof made from recycled materials be an option?
or:
re-used slate?
terra cotta tile?
copper?
thatched roof?
or a real-live honest-to-goodness green roof, with a layer of soil, then planted with sedum?

by green i mean more enviornmental than epdm

i used a shipping container as a conditioned space, using the corugated metal roof as the ceiling w/ tapered inso and a (GREEN)membrane-

raised 3" on top of that were using 2x8 to frame a platform for the soil roof. no plywood on top of the joists, just green tek soil trays that filter the rain on to the (GREEN)membrane, then the membrane sheds the rain off the container to another garden below

(interior)fir it out - inso - drywall interior - interior is sealed tighter than a virgin. (no condensation)

i didnt think of another material like a recycled metal roof---good idea!

i also just looked at this other product called enviornmenal liquid membrane system(ELMS) this is a soy based clear coat that is apllied to metal and concrete for waterprofing. but this doesnt seem like enough protection from leaks

sounds like a fun project.

a roof/membrane intended to shed water like you describe could be detailed very sculpturally out of a metallic material - gutter, scupper, or however you collect the runoff.

the ELMS sounds good, but it probably isn't intended to be a gap filler.

This TPO is a good low slope roof (with parapet/ screen) option.

again thanks for the idea about a metalic material...i just got off the phone w/ a metal wall and roof manufacture that has an @$$ load of scraps in the back of his shop.

sod roof?

just wondering, tying to visualize your decription.
what happens with the weight of the sod and support, where it rests on the membrane layer? to keep the sod and support from lifting in terrible wind, don't you need to make attachment holes thru the membrane?

what about rot in those old sod roof prairie houses? Aerial termites?

(a little googling may be due...)


I think one advantage of the prairie sod was the strength of the root fibers.

environment is spelled liked this...(i think so anyway), the membranes used in the trades for green roofs are PVC, the very nastiest of products, like 40%plus chlorine. so very long lasting, but no way to recycle into anything....I think in your project you could use metal by making more pitch in the roof 1 or 2 in 12 would probably work for a project the size of a container.the trays would not need to be attached to the roof, as long as the guttering was high enough to and strong enough to hold back the trays. see www.greenroofplants.com for plant and some design info, they have test facilties with metal roofs....

try a thatch roof