A survey conducted by the Green Roof Campaign has revealed that there is still a lot of work to be done to convince people of the many environmental and sustainable properties of green roofs, and to dispel myths which persist about the cost and performance of the technology.

The survey, conducted at the Ecobuild trade show in London during February, canvassed visitors on their awareness and understanding of green roofs, and their opinions on the importance of green roofs compared with other sustainable technologies. While 100% of respondents knew what a green roof was, there are still a variety of myths which are widely held, including the beliefs that green roofs are expensive, difficult to install and have a negative effect on the roofing structure.

-- Advertisement --

When asked to rate five sustainable technologies in order of importance, insulation came top, followed by energy efficient goods, utilities management, microgeneration and finally green roofs.

The survey was sponsored by Permanite Engineered Roofing Systems. Speaking about the results, Tim Wood, Product Manager at Green Roof Systems said: "This survey illustrates that commonly held negative myths about green roofs and flat roofing in general persist. While green roofs are clearly accepted as a sustainable technology, their benefits are not fully understood.

"Far from damaging flat roofs, green roofs offer UV protection for waterproofing membranes as well as considerable impact protection. Historical worries about flat roofs are incorrect with the durability, performance and long term guarantees available today. We have electronic and flood test procedures for assessing roofs before installation of green roof components."

(GK/NS)