Green building modifications

 With more emphasis being put on the sustainability of structures, engineers and designers have to look at innovative ways of greening up buildings. Finding more sustainable material sources, including recycled plastic in structural concrete mix like I talked about in a previous post, is important and can make a difference. But we can get more out of the building space and finding effective, aesthetic ways of lowering the environmental impact and increasing sustainability.

One option is to introduce more green rooftops. I've notice recently that many rooftops of flat buildings, primarily commercial and industrial buildings, are covered in gravel, which is done to protect the roof material and also weigh it down to keep everything on there. But this can also be done by using the power of plant roots and building green roofs. Instead of wasting the space, roofs can be made into gardens, and provide the same protection of the roofing materials with dirt, gravel, and plant roots. This practice is already being used widely, but could easily be used more often, which I see during my drive around Golden and Lakewood.

Another option is turning roofs into solar farms. This seems like a no brainer if you have a crane or similar to get them up there, instead of filling large fields with the generally unaesthetic solar panels. In addition, windows or walls can be made from solar panel material, to be efficient with space and produce energy.