Live Load Of A Green Roof

Building codes may vary so it is important to determine the local requirement for live loads and dead loads and to understand how the green roof being built relates to weight requirement.

Live load of a green roof.

Structural loads weight of green rooftops. The entire green roof assembly including plants and the water required to saturate the growth media is considered part of the dead load of the structure. The venny green roof has shallow substrates on two types of roof the first roof is on shipping containers and is designed for a dead load of 250kg m 2 and live load of 100kg m 2. D dead load l live load l r live roof load w wind load s snow load e earthquake load r rainwater load or ice water load t effect of material temperature h hydraulic loads from soil f hydraulic loads from fluids.

Saturated with water the weight can increase by as much as 35 to around 100 to 110 pounds per cubic foot. Both of the main international green roof organizations the german fll and north america s green roofs for healthy cities agree that green roofs should not be applied to roofs with slope of greater than 40 degrees. The dead load of a green roof assembly should be determined on a project specific basis because growth medium composition varies from job to job. Astm e2397 is the established standard procedure for determining the dead and live loads associated with green roof systems.

Where snow isn t a problem the live load can come from people working on the roof and any equipment they take on to the. One cubic foot of dry agricultural dirt or loam typically used for a green roof weighs between 75 and 81 pounds. Live loads seismic loads wind effects load combinations serviceability concerns and astm standards is provided. In older buildings or new build this may require costly structural reinforcement which in some cases may prove prohibitively expensive.

An analysis of tree loading sloped roofs seismic anchorage of green roofs and recommended structural design specifications and strategies will also be presented. A traditional green roof can exert a load of up to 250 kg per m2 and that inevitably means a strong building is required to support the weight. What is the impact of green roof weight on building structure. Lastly strategies utilizing green roofs within the context of the.

The second trussed roof is designed for a dead load of 160kg m 2 and a live load of 40kg m 2.