When it comes to the value of land in the city, it is better not to build huge plans. Most developers are limited to the optimal land area and do not always have the opportunity to realize their dreams of creating their own garden. Following the path of European and other countries, you can solve this problem by constructing a roof garden.
This practice has the majority of foreign countries. For their residents, such a decoration of the roof has long become commonplace and allows you to create your own cozy corner, regardless of the location of the home. The best part is that governments are worried about the creation of green roofs, which stimulate such initiatives and financially encourage those who plant green gardens on the roofs of private houses, public and industrial buildings.
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What is the winter garden valued for?
Big cities do not have the ability to allocate additional space for the creation of new parks and squares. Every year, their residents are increasingly in need of new sources of oxygen and therefore roof gardens can to some extent help solve the problem of oxygen shortages. In addition to the environmental problem, this innovation helps to make your home, or rather, its roof, an original and unique design.
If you have such a dream, then it is quite possible to realize! You just need to make some efforts and over time, your life may become colored with new impressions and positive emotions. In addition to them, you will receive an interesting and fascinating lesson that will help you comprehend the beauty of the world and bring its charm to your own home.
The rooftop winter garden is an opportunity to have a place where you can relax alone and invite friends. Here you can gather your thoughts and reflect in silence, without being distracted by extraneous noise. Moreover, such a pleasant vacation will be waiting for you not only in the summer, but also in the winter, when you can only dream and remember the photographs from the green of the past summer.
A roof arranged in this way protects the greenery from dust, and your ears from noise, which is especially important for city residents. And even more importantly, you can relax and relieve fatigue and nervous tension without leaving your own home. There is no need to spend time and money on restorative procedures and activities.
Trying not to lose their customers, some entrepreneurs create premises for entertainment purposes on the roofs of office premises, public and administrative buildings - cafes, sports and playgrounds.
What is attractive about a roof garden?
- With it, the air becomes cleaner, because plants have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide and in return to produce oxygen;
- It changes the appearance of buildings and makes them more attractive in appearance;
- You can save on electricity, which is spent on air conditioning in the hot season;
- The winter garden located on the roof allows you to reduce the cost of heating the upper floor;
- Protects the roof and extends its service life;
- Creates additional protection against noise to residents of the upper floors;
- Minimizes the cost of maintenance and repair of the roof.
When installing a winter garden on the upper floors, the need for air conditioning disappears. The roof receives protection from overheating, since the garden located on it creates a completely different microclimate.Thanks to him, the temperature of the rooms located under it can drop by 3-4 degrees. If there will be many such gardens in one microdistrict, then the temperature in it can also drop somewhat.
For the same reason, in the winter season you can feel the cost savings for heating the upper floors. Reinforced waterproofing and soil layer complement the thermal insulation of the roof. They also protect the roof from sunlight and destructive ultraviolet radiation, and also protect the waterproofing carpet from freezing.
Wanting to have something like this in yourself and create a pleasant atmosphere for personal and collective relaxation, you should take into account some points and develop a project for which a roof garden will be arranged:
- First of all, you need to calculate the load on the roof and foundation, which will have to withstand the additional weight in the form of fertile soil and the plants themselves. In addition, various decorative elements and some necessary equipment and furniture will be placed on the roof.
- It is necessary to think about creating conditions that do not allow the roots of plants to grow excessively, since this process is quite natural for them.
- It is necessary to waterproof the roof at a high level in the place where the creation of the future garden is planned.
You need to take care of the irrigation and drainage system and carefully consider their device. Since roof gardens require periodic watering, a system must be developed to divert excess water and preserve the plants necessary for successful growth and existence.
- Consider safety measures associated with the movement of people on the roof, because the roof garden will be made just for them.
- Do not forget that at night the garden should be lit and therefore it is necessary to conduct electricity there.
Types of winter gardens
When planning a roof garden, you should know their features and take into account the differences.
- When it comes to an intensive roof garden, it means using it for outdoor activities and entertainment. The presence of such a zone implies that walkways for pedestrians, lawns, flower beds, bushes and trees will be planted.
- An extensive garden is created with the goal of having a greenhouse at home with unique and interesting plants and flowers. They rise to the roof in this case exclusively for watering and other maintenance of plants. It is easier and less expensive to equip such a room, since it does not require a special interior. The disadvantage of such a roof garden can be considered the lack of opportunities to spend free time here, because it does not provide the necessary conditions for relaxation.
The winter garden deserves special attention. By tradition, he is satisfied with the extension to the house provided for this purpose. The walls and roof in it are made of glass structures that transmit light well. Recently, however, a tendency has been developing that a winter roof garden is arranged on roofs, attics and even balconies.
Another pleasant trend is that they became popular only in private houses and apartments, but also in public buildings, sports complexes, restaurants, banks, theaters and office premises.
How can a roof garden be used?
The name - "garden" means that a flower garden or some green plants should be present in the room, but it turns out that this is not necessary.
At your request, a “garden” can be called a dining room or pool, gym or simply equipped room for relaxation. Thus, it is possible to increase the usable area of a house or apartment.
When planning to build additional premises for this purpose, it should be borne in mind that you are dealing with an engineering structure. Therefore, you must first weigh everything, calculate, plan, and only then proceed with construction.
The material for the roof frame can be PVC, aluminum or steel.Very rarely you can find structures made of wood. The choice of material is always a personal affair of a person, but it is worth taking into account the purpose for which a roof garden is created.
If you want to adapt the room to a pool or arrange a greenhouse in it, then the most acceptable are steel structures for which high humidity is not terrible. But, as a rule, greenhouses are made using PVC or aluminum.
It is necessary not only to choose the right material for the frame, but also the type of glazing. The main requirement for it is good light transmitting properties. You can use reinforced, tempered, laminated and sun-protection glass, double-glazed windows, float glass, roofing cellular polycarbonate and stained-glass windows.
Since glazing occupies about 80% of the useful area of the room, the glass should have good heat-shielding properties and save incoming energy. At the same time, they are designed to protect the garden from overheating. A transparent roof deserves special attention.
It must be so strong as to withstand mechanical shocks caused by branches, hail, etc., as well as withstand strong wind gusts and snowstorms. Given all this, the rooftop conservatory needs tempered glass or triplex.
A good substitute for them can be cellular or monolithic roofing polycarbonate. It diffuses sunlight more strongly and surpasses glass several times in strength. Cellular polycarbonate is composed of air chambers that provide good thermal insulation. This material bends and sticks well, it is convenient to cut and drill. By weight it is lighter than glass.
Remember the different parts of the world
Important! When planning a winter garden, pay attention to how it will be oriented in relation to the cardinal points.
Many factors, including its functional purpose, will envy this arrangement. Let's try to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the location of the roof garden relative to the cardinal points:
- The room is located from north side. Solar energy in this case will accumulate in insufficient quantities. Breeding plants in it will not be advisable. If you think carefully about the heating and thermal insulation system, then the room can be adapted to a creative workshop or other place to work.
- If the winter roof garden overlooks the south side with glazed walls, then this is also not very useful for the development of plants. Although this may seem paradoxical, an excess of sun is equally harmful to plants, as well as its lack. You can avoid overheating if you arrange good ventilation and somehow darken the room so that the plants feel comfortable. In the winter season, this arrangement will save on room heating.
- The winter garden, facing more to the west, will be able to retain the accumulated heat. You can protect yourself from sunlight with the help of blinds, marquises or shutters.
- The most comfortable garden for plants will be located to the east. In this case, one should not worry that the plants will overheat, because the sun will shine on them only until noon. By evening, it will be cool and fresh. With this arrangement, you can do without ventilation.
When arranging a roof garden in the open, it is important to think about the safety of the people in it. For this purpose, it is possible to arrange a concrete parapet (height not less than 120 cm).
The components of the winter garden and their location
On any green roof, the load should be distributed taking into account the fact that the bearing capacity is greater along the perimeter of the building. Therefore, drawing up a plan of the future garden in your mind or on paper, you need to imagine where the plants will be located, the resting place of people, paths, etc. Heavy and massive tubs with plants are placed closer to the edge. Various equipment for garden care and rest of the owners is also located there.
Do not forget to take into account the strength of the wind, which is three times higher at the top than below. Therefore, large plants on the roofs are not grown. They are replaced by undersized or those that have a curved trunk shape. You need to know which plants like the sun more, and which shade or partial shade. All this affects the location of plants in the conservatory.
When arranging a roof garden, you need to remember that for plants this place is similar to mountain conditions, where they are exposed to high radiation, sharp daily temperature drops, strong winds, low soil and air humidity and are in a thin layer of soil. Therefore, they need good drainage and drainage, protective shields and gratings.
Everyone decides which winter garden suits him best and likes, but we hope that this information will help you make your choice.
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