Blue Roofs: All You Need to Know

Posted by Roofco April 30, 2019

As modern buildings embrace elegant architectural designs, more building owners are now hiring contractors from Winnipeg roofing company to add blue roofs for more reasons than aesthetics. Blue roofs, besides complying with sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) regulations, are designed to hold rainwater and regulate drainage from the roof. In general, they attenuate water and control the effects of rainwater runoff.

Benefits of Blue Roofs

In modern cities and towns, storm water could cause sewage overflow. With less water attenuation, rainwater runoff can easily cause flooding, especially in flood-prone locations. Blue roofs installation helps release the accumulated rainwater slowly long after a storm. This attenuation efficiency helps mitigate flooding. These roofs can be used to sustain green roofs (a roof covered by vegetation planted on a waterproof membrane). Studies have shown that blue roofs do not adversely affect the existence of green roofs. Roofing contractors can fit both roofs on a building. This way, the blue roof-underneath can sustain the green roof.

If you want to harvest rainwater, blue roofs help you do exactly that. Not only is it Eco-friendly to harvest rainwater, but it also helps reduce water bills. You can use rainwater in landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, water fountains, among other household uses. Water from blue roofs can also be used for cooling systems and as a result, reduce cooling costs. On a hot day, cold water on the roof can single-handedly cool the roof. This goes a long way to the reduction of the cooling burden placed on the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

Blue Roof Concerns

In spite of the numerous merits, blue roofs raise a few concerns. Because of the water stagnation, they can be a breeding site for mosquitoes including the West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. Your roofing contractor can resolve this problem by incorporating new structural geometrics to the blue roof that helps deal with standing water. The other concern about blue roofs is that their drainage systems may also clog from time to time. This is usually due to poor or improper installation and poor system inspection. A qualified roofing personnel will not only install the roof properly but also make recommended routine system checks.

Installation costs for this type of roofing could discourage building owners. First, the price of a blue roof is usually calculated per square foot. Before installation, roofs must first be fortified and this further increases total costs. While the whole process may seem costly at first, in the long run, the merits will surpass the initial costs. Some warranties state that any alterations or additions to a roof void the warranty. Checking the warranty and consulting widely could clear any concern.

Installing Blue Roofs

Due to the complex nature of blue roofs, Architect Today recommends that clients seek a one-stop shop approach in the whole process where possible. From designing to installation. This eliminates products incompatibility. During installation, the blue roof is laid directly on a waterproof layer. The waterproof layer should have certification for blue roofs and zero falls. So long as your roofing contractor installs the roof correctly, property owners stand to benefit from the many perks blue roofs provide.

Compared to green roofs, which also hold water, blue roofs have higher performance water-attenuation properties.