The importance of incorporating functional roofs into building design

Incorporating a functional roof into a building’s design is an easy and creative way to convert unused areas into practical and sustainable spaces. Apart from improving the aesthetics of the building and creating pleasant areas for users to retreat to, functional roofs have many environmental advantages. In this article, we discuss the benefits and functional roofs, important considerations, which need to be taken into account when designing a functional roof, and the advantages of choosing Soprema’s roof garden solutions.

Environmental benefits of functional roofs

Green roofs create habitats and ecosystems for wildlife and pollinators, encouraging biodiversity. They function as an insulation layer, increasing the building’s energy efficiency. They create a cool roof in the summer months and mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce air pollution (by absorbing CO2) and alleviate noise pollution inside the building.

Roof gardens improve water retention and filtration by limiting the storm water run-off into the draining systems. By incorporating blue roofs into roof garden build-ups, you reduce the risk of floods and enable better water management. Moreover, they protect the waterproofing and the roof surface, increasing their lifespan. The use of solar roofs and solar power is increasing, too, as Ireland is preparing for a more sustainable future and aiming to generate 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Important considerations when designing functional roofs

The design of a functional roof depends largely on whether it is a brown, blue, solar or green roof – or a combination. With brown, blue or green roofs, it is for instance very important to consider rainwater harvesting and drainage systems. For a solar roof, in turn, roof orientation, shading, parapets, and whether a reflective or dark waterproofing capsheet is to be used require consideration.

What are the benefits of choosing Soprema’s solutions?

At Soprema, we fully understand the uniqueness of each project and offer complete and bespoke solutions for all types of functional roofs, including:

  • intensive and extensive green roofs, sedum blankets and special flower options – our solutions are easy to maintain and reduce the need for irrigation
  • bespoke blue roof solutions to capture the rain to either slowly drain the water or repurpose it
  • a revolutionary, bonded fixing system for installing photovoltaic panels directly onto the waterproofing. The system does not penetrate the waterproofing or insulation during installation or maintenance of the photovoltaic system.

Additionally, all our functional roof systems are lightweight, significantly reducing the weight on the structure.

Technical experts and approved contractors

Our dedicated technical experts provide our clients with exceptional technical service, advice, and support throughout the project. Our inhouse services include everything from specifications, calculations, site inspections to BCAR sign off. And with a list of experienced and highly skilled Soprema-approved contractors, we ensure our systems are installed to the highest standard.

Get in touch with our technical experts

Interested in discussing your project? Please do not hesitate to contact our technical experts on technical@soprema.ie