b'Green Roofs: AAmerican Building System New Continued from page 9 The additionalup-frontcostisunfamiliartomostAmericans,it offsetbythefactthat.oncepro hasved arecord of sucachie longEFVM tected with a vegetatedcover,thecess in Europe. Unlike most other165]Leak Survey waterproofing system wilast for aleak detection methods, EFVM can 11System very long. How long? No onequickly andaccuratelylocate the timeldest exam nt Energizer can be sure, si nee the o pointofwater e ry. Alternative plesinG andSwitzerlandapproacheslikeinfraredsurveys~ ermanyGround arenow only about 35 y old.candeterminewherewaterhas ears H thewhen uncovered alter 35accu notbein the insulation, butMembrane~~=~~~~=======~II owever,mulatedWaterproofct years,underlying waterproofingmayasusefulin actually materials have b found to be infindingthewaterproofingdefect.Insulation,!;=;=;=:;=;:!:;:=;::;=::~~~~~~~~::;:::;I een excellentcondition.ExperiencedThe benefits of EF can be sumVM green roof installers speculate thatmarizedfollows: as these systems will last for 50 yearsitbe used after the vegetated can orcover systems are installed; more. Protectiont root penetra it can be used to locate defects againstion is aconcern. Many oth precisely,enablingefficientNotes critical erwiseexcellentwaterproofingrepairs;1. Miller,C., andPyke,G.,Miller is also founder andipresmaterials will not stand uprsbecausep ingwateris notMethodology for the Design ofdentof Roofscapes,Inc.,wto yea ond hich ofrootattack, soa supplementalpartthe procedure, there is noVegetatedRoofCovers,offers the Roofmeadow9 family of of roof-barriersystemisessential.hazard of overloading structuralP ings of the 1999 Inter greenroofsystemsthroughits roceedSuch systems fallinto three cadecks during testing;nationalWater ResourceEnnational network of licensed green te gigories:thermoplas c membranes it can be used on steeply slopingneeringConference,Americanroof installers. For more informati(e.g.,polyethylene),roofing mem roof surfaces where flood testingSociety of Civil Engineers.tion,write to Roofscapes, Inc.,at branesimpregnatedw root is impossible; and2. Forschu Land 1114 McCallum Street,Philadelithngsgesellschaft inhibitingchemicals,andcopper repairscanbetestedimmedi schaftsentwicklu L dschaft phia,PA19119; phone 215/247-nganfoils.ately.baue (Landscapingand8784;tax215/247-4659;emaitV. Thermoplastic m ranes certi Once the source of leakage hasLandscapeDevelopme andcmiller@roofmeadow.com;or go emb nt fied for use in Germany as root-bar been detected, thin vegetated cov ResearchSociety),Rich in nto www.roofmeadow.com. tl ieriersaretypically about30milse canbe removedlocallytof?rdie P Ausf?hrungThis article originally rslannung,appeared thickandhavehot-airweldedexposethedamageandmakeu Pflege vonDachbegr?nungin the May issue of the Building nd seams. Some American companiesrepairs.(GuidelinesforthePlanning,SafetyJournal[TM}andis offer waterproofingmembranes orIn lation andMainte n ofreprintedherewithpermission stal na ce supplementalroot-barriersthatConclusionGreen Roofs),fromtheInternationalCode 1995. have been certified by FLLr rootWhenappropriatelydesignedCouncil. foresistance.Copperfoilsarerela andconstructed, greenroofsareCharles D. Miller, P.E., isa tively new in the green roof industryextremely durable roofing systems.member of the Technical Advisory so, once again, since no AmericanHopefully, we will see more w e Committees ofCenter for Green id the standards exist it is aidea tospreadacceptanceofthesesys Rootat the Pennsylvania goodResearch look to the FLLtemsintheU.S.andtheStateUniversityandtheGreen guidelines. Shouldaproblemdevelop,development of appropriate Ameri Roofs for Healthy Cities Coalition, orontoeffective methods have been estab canstandardsinthenearfuture.aT -basedresearchand lished for locatingthesourceofUntil these systems become morepublic policy organization. Heis leakage, evenunder feet of cover.familiar to American bu ers,also aof the ASTM Subild how member Electricfieldvectormappingever,itisprudent torely onthecommittee E06. 71 on Sustainabil(EFVM) is apowerful toolstan and guidelines th haveityBuildings;andtheGerman new anddardsat forimprovingqualitycontrolonbeen d elo in Europe over theRoof Gardening Association. ev ped-waterproofing systems, and is n past 40 years. ow availableintheU.S.Although'