Eric Corey Freed is an architect, lecturer, and writer based in San Francisco, California, with 15 years of experience in green building. He is a practitioner in the tradition of organic architecture, first developed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Eric is founder and principal of organicARCHITECT, part architecture firm, part think tank. In addition to designing award-winning green buildings, the firm publishes its research and produces the annual organicAWARDS to recognize designs that are both innovative and environmentally responsible.
During Eric's early years working in his hometown of Philadelphia and in New York City, noted architect and critic Philip Johnson cited Eric as "one of the real brains of his generation." After several years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, working with natural building materials, he moved to San Francisco in 1997 to join the heart of the green building movement.
In 2002, he was Founding Chair of Architecture for the San Francisco Design Museum, the exhibits of which were featured in Metropolis, ARTNews, and Newsweek. In 2005, San Francisco magazine named Eric the city’s "Best Green Architect."
Eric teaches in the Sustainable Design program he co-developed at the Academy of Art University and the University of California, Berkeley. He is on the boards of Architects, Designers & Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR), Natural World Museum, Green Home Guide, and West Coast Green, as well as the advisory boards of nearly a dozen other organizations.
A much sought-after lecturer, Eric speaks extensively around the United States, giving nearly 50 talks a year, and consults directly to large companies seeking to transition into sustainability.
His monthly column, Ask the Green Architect, is published by GreenerBuildings and syndicated to dozens of other publications. He is a regular columnist for LUXE Magazine and his work has been featured in Dwell, Natural Home, Newsweek, and Town & Country, among others.
A green roof is not a roof with green-colored shingles — it’s a supplemental roofing system made up of plant material that’s applied over a conventional roof. Think of the green roof as an extension of the existing roof.
The Pros of Green Roofs
Green roofs offer numerous benefits, including the following:
Insulation: Because of their earthen mass, a green roof adds a lot of insulation to the roof, which saves you money on your energy bills.
Environmental factors: The plants on the roof can be used to filter and clean water, while automatically absorbing pollution and giving off oxygen for you to breathe.
Protection: Because a green roof sits over your roof membrane, it protects the roof from damage.
Appearance: A roof is typically the least attractive part of any building, but a green roof is a beautiful replacement.
Cool temperatures: Plants keep your roof cool, reducing the ambient temperature around a building (called a heat island).
Value: The preceding benefits add to the value of your home.
The Drawbacks of Green Roofs
Potential concerns and drawbacks including the following:
Uncertainty about long-term performance: Green roofs are still considered a new technology in North America — too new to have a track record. Even in Europe, where green roofs have been around for over 25 years, experts are only beginning to gather information on long-term performance. The biggest concern with any roof is leaking. Because a green roof adds an additional layer of protection, you can at least expect a longer life from the conventional roof.
Cost: Because a green roof is used in addition to, not instead of, a conventional roof, it costs more. As a general rule, you can expect an installed extensive green roof with waterproof membranes and irrigation to cost about $12 to $24 per square foot. This may sound expensive, but keep in mind that a green roof extends the life of the roof membrane and will reduce the heating and cooling costs of your home. Although an extensive green roof may cost $12 to $24 per square foot, less expensive alternatives are available. Green grid systems,available from companies such as GreenGrid, consist of plastic trays that snap together into a grid. Priced at around $8 per square foot, these systems are a great alternative for existing buildings where an extensive green roof is not possible. These modular systems don’t provide the same amount of insulation, roof protection, or flexibility in planting as a full green roof system, however.
Difficulty of repairs: Although a green roof covers and protects the conventional roof below, finding leaks and fixing repairs is much more difficult. You have to remove the vegetation, soil, and drainage in order to inspect the roof for leaks. Modular grid systems make this process much easier because they can be removed in pieces.
Competition with other green functions of a roof: In a green building, roof space is valuable. A green roof competes for space with solar panels and rainwater harvesting. By limiting the green roof to areas that are much more visible (because they’re so beautiful), and locating the solar panels in areas more hidden (because they aren’t as attractive), you can keep your roof attractive and functional.
Remember: Most new ideas in the building industry face significant hurdles, and that’s certainly the case with green roofs. You may have some initial concerns about a green roof in terms of leaking, weight, or maintenance, but the benefits far outweigh these, especially when you consider the money saved in heating and cooling costs over the life of the building.
Determining Whether a Green Roof is Right for You
A green roof is a wonderfully simple and effective way to add value, beauty, and green features to a building. But when you’re thinking about adding a green roof to an existing house, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:
Is the roof slope too steep for plants? Flat and low-slope roofs are easier for the plants to fix into the soil. A low-slope roof is any roof you could walk up without leaning forward. ....read more
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