The hottest trend in roofs is also one of the oldest. Green roofs — part of a movement known as living architecture — began in Europe with the centuries-old practice of building sod houses.
These days, green roofs are high-tech, environmentally savvy, energy-efficient and and on top of that, provide habitats for rare birds and
bugs.
Ask Rana Creek CEO Paul Kephart about green roofs, and he'll reel off a long list of the advantages. The firm in Carmel Valley, California, which offers land use planning, landscape design, and habitat restoration, is getting into the green roof business in a big way.
"They're catching on, particularly in places where people are concerned about the environment," said Kephart. "In a highly urbanized area, they are the only place of refuge."
Although Monterey County isn't a densely populated area, homeowners here also desire environmentally correct roofs. Fred Ballerini of Pacific Grove, California, who has installed green roofs in Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Big Sur, among other places, says all his projects thus far have been residential.
Ballerini specializes in roofs that resemble California meadows, and recently won an award for residential design from the industry organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. He's done 30 green roofs in the past five years, and sees the trend only getting stronger.
Green roofs have been used in Europe in many years, and were also a fad during the 1970s in the United States. The current resurgence in interest is due not only to more environmental awareness among the public, but also an improvement in materials and technology to make such roofs possible.
"The technology has really improved a lot in the last 20 years," said Ballerini. In addition, he said, environmental regulations in coastal areas also demand green roofs, to compensate for habitat loss and to lessen effects of storm water runoff.
Most green roofs now are designed as part of new homes; retrofitting is possible but is done less frequently.
These days, green roofs are high-tech, environmentally savvy, energy-efficient and and on top of that, provide habitats for rare birds and
Ask Rana Creek CEO Paul Kephart about green roofs, and he'll reel off a long list of the advantages. The firm in Carmel Valley, California, which offers land use planning, landscape design, and habitat restoration, is getting into the green roof business in a big way.
"They're catching on, particularly in places where people are concerned about the environment," said Kephart. "In a highly urbanized area, they are the only place of refuge."
Although Monterey County isn't a densely populated area, homeowners here also desire environmentally correct roofs. Fred Ballerini of Pacific Grove, California, who has installed green roofs in Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Big Sur, among other places, says all his projects thus far have been residential.
Ballerini specializes in roofs that resemble California meadows, and recently won an award for residential design from the industry organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. He's done 30 green roofs in the past five years, and sees the trend only getting stronger.
Green roofs have been used in Europe in many years, and were also a fad during the 1970s in the United States. The current resurgence in interest is due not only to more environmental awareness among the public, but also an improvement in materials and technology to make such roofs possible.
"The technology has really improved a lot in the last 20 years," said Ballerini. In addition, he said, environmental regulations in coastal areas also demand green roofs, to compensate for habitat loss and to lessen effects of storm water runoff.
Most green roofs now are designed as part of new homes; retrofitting is possible but is done less frequently.
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