Quote:
Originally Posted by kwoldtimer
But is there any reason green roofs can't meet both objectives?
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Depends. If the roof is designed to hold people and other objects, it could. I don't know though if people using the grass on top of buildings might affect the systems relying on it though. I don't know specifically though whether there would be issues or not (there might be some). At the very least though, there is a reason why we build green roofs, which is why I was responding to from OTSkyline. If there aren't usually issues with creating a green roof and turning it into park space then that could be encouraged. I'm also a proponent of urban agriculture, so if it's possible to create space on top of buildings to grow food or for apiculture that would be good. What's more of a waste is how many buildings have space for something on their roofs (whether people can use it or not) yet don't use it.
I do know that green roofs are extra heavy and so the building does have to be designed to support such weight. To be able to function as a park and accommodate hundreds or people and whatever objects we like would make it even heavier and more expensive to build. There's also some types of roofs, like sedum roofs, that can't be walked on. They may be thinner and lighter though, but it's not functional for a park.
Some of what we see though is part of the roof is designed for people and the rest is fenced off. Algonquin's ACCE Building and CD Howe downtown, the War Museum are examples where there's roof access but you can't sit on the grass.