Green roofs are not only vibrant to look at, they also manage rainwater, reduce global warming, and extend the longevity of your roof. Properly designed, ecoroofs do not leak and require very little maintenance. An architect can determine the structural requirements, design an ecoroof to fit your house, and then ensure that it is properly built. A low cost vegetated roof is a beautiful way to encourage visits from birds and butterflies!

Ecoroof Design

Intensive ecoroofs, typically installed on large commercial buildings, can be several feet deep and use complex roofing systems to support large plants and trees; Extensive ecoroofs, typically found on residential and smaller commercial buildings, are only 2-6” deep and use very simple, low-cost materials to support a variety of smaller plants; sedums, which have an astounding variety of color and texture, do best in our area.

This green roof was installed on an existing Portland residence. First, structural improvements were made to handle the new load then a new waterproof membrane was installed. In the course of a weekend, the homeowners used buckets and a pulley to bring the soil up to the roof and planted the sedum plugs in a spiral design. Proper detailing includes a curb at the perimeter and an overflow drain.

Full Report · pdf

Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
Learn about ecoroofs and sign up for their mailing lists. Find out about permitting, policy and codes. If you want to know more about disconnecting your downspouts, you can do that here.

Portland Clean Rivers Rewards Program

Portland Bureau of Sustainability · 503.823.5431
Green Building Hotline for resources and tehnical info.

Green Roof Info Think-tank (GRIT)
The discussion site of a new group consisting of Portland metro area professionals interested in seeing more green roofs everywhere! Find events and workshops, read and start discussions.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Just what good is a green roof anyhow? This site is aimed at both industry professionals and the average person with a roof over their head.