Why do they plant grass on the roofs of houses in Scandinavia?
The Scandinavian countries are a real paradise for those who love to travel. This is where Santa Claus lives and Moomintroll's house is located, fairy-tale characters live here, and the area is something special that cannot even be described in simple words.
There are a lot of interesting things in the areas of Scandinavia, but one of the strangest features is green roofs. No, not the color, but the real grass that grows from above. Moreover, such houses have been built for many centuries, and their popularity is only growing. What is the mystery of grass roofs? Why do they do this? Is there any sacred meaning to this? Or is the nature of Scandinavia winning back what belongs to it by right?
Where did the tradition of “greening” the roofs of houses come from?
No, there is no magic, everything is quite simple, but incredibly practical.
The climate of Scandinavia is very harsh: constant strong winds, storms, precipitation and other not the most pleasant natural phenomena. For this reason, local residents always pay special attention to the thermal insulation of their homes.
Of course, now no one will say who came up with the idea of planting grass on roofs, but, as it turned out, this is an ideal way to protect your home from the vagaries of the weather.
A very, very long time ago, the Scandinavians realized that turf and grass were good, practical and economical materials that were always available. The only thing is that they had to be “installed” correctly, since even due to a small mistake the roof could leak, and if the technology was violated, even the residents of the house could suffer, finding themselves crushed under the multi-ton roof.
In the layers of turf, grass grew very quickly.With its root system, it only strengthened the structure of the roofing, and the green part of the plants beautifully decorated the house.
Turf protects well from frost and also plays the role of high-quality thermal insulation. Moreover, in the summer, when it is hot, the coating protects the home from overheating, and in the rain it absorbs all the moisture, preventing it from penetrating inside the house. In addition, turf is able to maintain an optimal microclimate and provide ventilation.
A green roof is an excellent self-cleaning natural air filter. After all, grass perfectly catches dust particles, and rain washes them away again.
But this technology also has a disadvantage - enormous weight. Turf weighs about 50 kg when dry, and when wet it becomes even heavier - up to 90 kg. Naturally, in order to withstand all this, the house itself must be powerful enough, and the structure itself must be properly designed.
