July 29, 2009

Letter to the Editor

Properly engineered green roofs are not a fire hazard, but rather a fire deterrent.

Re: Fire safety issue raised for green roofs, DCN July 13, 2009

I couldn’t help but imagine what the motive and agenda was for Peter Kenter’s recent article on green roofs, insurance and so-called, potential fire safety.

I am really beginning to wonder what kind of Kool-Aid the insurance industry and anti-green roof lobby is drinking in Canada, as their approach to living architecture and green roofs in particular is so completely out of sync with the rest of the world.

Properly engineered green roofs are not a fire hazard but rather a fire deterrent. This is a point recognized by many building insurers in Europe who offer premium discounts for buildings with green roofs for that very reason. The mitigating issues on green roofs and how dry they can become starts with the engineering for the green roof build-up and water retention capacity of the combined layers of moisture retention/protection mats, drainage board, growing medium and plants.

Most qualified and experienced green roof experts always engineer and design the entire green roof system, including the plants and required irrigation, to suit the architectural and climate or hardiness zone circumstances.

Unfortunately, as is typical in North American construction practices, value engineers, unscrupulous contractors and developers, along with “Johnny-come-lately” opportunists in the green roof business, are always looking for cheap and easy short cuts. This shortsighted approach always results in performance problems and ultimately more cost in the long term.

If we simply insist on following the successful models in Europe for living architecture by building and engineering properly in the first place, we will realize the same overwhelming environmental and community beautification success that green roofs have created there and elsewhere.

At the end of the day we will all be able to breathe easier knowing that green buildings are cooling down our urban landscapes, providing oxygen-enriched air, prolonging the buildings lifecycle and ultimately making our buildings less of a fire hazard — not more.

Kind regards,

Ron P. Schwenger

Principal, Architek

Vancouver, BC.

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