Let the grass grow

摘要

Next summer the cause of sustainable construction will get a big boost when research association Ciria becomes one of the first UK bodies to issue guidance on green roofs. At the moment, their wider adoption is hampered because the lack of British Standards and policy makes investment in them an uncertain process. The advantages of green roofs - thermal insulation, reduction of heat island effects and absorbing run-off to mitigate flash flooding -are widely acknowledged, and are integral to the government's sustainability agenda as outlined in PPS1. But there is no official policy on building run-off and the effects of flow rates; the closest thing is the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's recently launched proposals for the voluntary Code for Sustainable Homes.