via dawneday, flickr.com

Just about everyone likes the looks of green roofs. Their different look makes them stand out and who doesn’t like being surrounded by greenery? However, not everyone is aware of their less aesthetic benefits. Many architects are starting to use green roofs in some award-winning designs and as the technology becomes more widely adopted hopefully we’ll see more and more green roofs in our cities and towns. Without further ado, here are the top 5 benefits to building green roofs:

1. Keeps Buildings Warm in Winter, Cold In Summer
The insulating properties of the both the soil and vegetation means the roof keeps interior temperatures constant far better than reflective or tarred roofs. In the summer, the roof absorb most of the heat keeping the building underneath cool, and after sunset, some of that heat is retained and warms the building at night when temperatures drop. Keeping the interior temperatures more constant means heating and cooling systems don’t have to work as hard saving you money on energy costs. Besides, when your heating and cooling systems can run more efficiently, they’ll undoubtedly need less repairs and in the long run have longer lives meaning less to spend later. We can all agree that’s good.

Read the rest of the benefits after the jump!

2. Helps Irrigation and Stormwater Runnoff
Anyone who owns a house or lives in a wet area like Florida knows how stormwater runoff can reek havoc on lawns and flowerbeds under the corners of roofs. Many of us have also seen the result of constant heavy rain and how it can flood neighborhoods and cities. Those of us who haven’t experienced it in our own cities have seen countless pictures and videos. With green roofs, these results are minimized because of their ability to absorb rainwater. Green roofs can absorb anywhere between 90% to 50% of rainfall depending on how much it rains. Because they can absorb so much, green roofs can reduce the risk of flooding and sewer overflows making them a great idea in places like Florida and Loisiana.

3. Reduces Urban ‘Heat Island’ Effect
Have you ever been in a big city like New York and noticed the temperature is slightly higher than the suburbs or the surrounding rural areas? Well, don’t worry, you’re not crazy. It’s called the ‘Heat Island Effect’ and is a recognized issue by the EPA. In this phenomenon, urban areas tend to be 2-10° warmer than the surrounding areas. Sidewalks, streets and buildings absorb and radiate heat and as a result, we use air conditioning systems to combat this higher temperature and they themselves push out even more heat further complicating the problem. The energy required to keep our indoor spaces comfortable only adds to the problem and adds to urban air pollution.

Fear not city-dwellers, there is a solution! You guessed it, green roofs. Because most flat roofs are tar or gravel-based, their heat absorbing properties can make the roof-tops up to 90° warmer than the air itself and all that heat is simply radiated into our buildings and the surrounding air. Green roofs on the other hand tend to be cooler than the air around it and and can help keep the insides of buildings cooler. That helps with utilities costs and when your roof isn’t radiating extreme amounts of heat back into the air, you’re making a positive difference in the Heat Island Effect.

4. Reduces Outside Noise
Have you ever been underground and not heard what was going on above? Take that same concept (except a few feet thinner) on your roof and you’ve got the basic idea. With the growing medium and the vegetation, sound is dissipated through the spongy soil and as a result gives you a quieter interior. For city dwellers, keeping out the sound of honking taxis, subway trains and the general urban noise out is really enticing.

5. They’re Just Plain Beautiful
If you don’t believe me, just consider some of these following pictures.

via metaefficient.com

via Urban Agriculture Online

via neatorama

So there you have it. This definitely isn’t an exhaustive list, there are many other reasons to build a green roof, but I thought these were some of the most interesting. What other benefits can you guys think of? List them in the comments.