October 8, 2013

Property owners around Portland are transforming rooftops into green spaces with economic, environmental, and social benefits. A new Environmental Services video titled Green Roofs: The Nature of Portland’s Rooftops, showcases the beauty of green roofs and the many benefits they provide to building owners, residents and local communities.

Green roofs replace conventional roofing materials with soil and vegetation. Green roofs range from simple designs with a variety of low-growing plants to complex rooftop gardens and public spaces with trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Green roofs are important parts of Portland’s stormwater management infrastructure because they absorb rain to reduce stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff can cause sewage overflows and basement backups, and carry pollutants into rivers and streams. For new construction, green roofs help buildings meet stormwater management requirements. They can also have a positive impact on property owners’ bottom line.

Green roofs double, and sometimes triple, the life of the roof’s waterproof membrane. They are an amenity for building tenants and residents, and they improve the view for tenants of neighboring buildings. Commercial properties with green roofs are more desirable and competitive in a tight real estate and rental market. And green roofs can increase leasable or saleable space on new construction through Portland’s Floor Area Ratio (FAR) bonuses.

There are more than 550 green roofs in Portland that cover more than 1.5 million square feet of rooftop and manage more than 34 million gallons of rainfall annually.

The new green roof video features Thom Ross discussing a green roof retrofit of a commercial space, Agustin Enriquez discussing the green roof on The Janey Apartments, and Elizabeth Hart discussing the benefits of green roofs to hospitals and their patients.

Find out how your roof can work for you. View Green Roofs: The Nature of Portland’s Rooftops at www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/GreenRoofVideo.

For more information contact Linc Mann, 503-823-5328.

The Bureau of Environmental Services works with Portland residents and businesses to protect water quality, public health, and the environment through wastewater collection and treatment, sewer construction and maintenance, stormwater management, and stream and watershed restoration.

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