Green Roofs for Healthy Cities works to develop standards in support of the further development of the industry. Working in close partnership with SPRI, design guidelines approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have been developed for Fire, Wind Uplift and Root Repellency.
Additional standards under development include performance standards for the multiple functions of growing media.
RP-14 Wind Design Standard
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and SPRI, Inc., the trade association representing the manufacturers of commercial roofing systems and component suppliers co-developed RP14 Wind Design Standard for Vegetative Roofing Systems, which ANSI accepted as an American National Standard. This document was created to provide a design and installation reference for green roofing professionals to help eliminate the risk of wind uplift on vegetative /green roofs in high wind areas.
"This standard, along with the recently approved fire standard, will provide the US market with the guidance that it needs to safely install vegetative or green roofing systems, which are an expanding segment of the roofing industry in the US. It is the result of an industry wide effort involving manufacturers, contractors, designers, green roofing professionals, and testing agencies." said Mike Ennis, Technical Director for SPRI.
“This new standard has been under development since 2007 and is the result of close collaboration between experts at Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and the Single Ply Roofing Industry and it should help to open the doors to better design practices in the industry and allay concerns about wind uplift,” said Steven Peck, President of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
VF-1 Fire Design Guidelines
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and SPRI, Inc., the trade association representing the manufacturers of commercial roofing systems and component suppliers, are pleased to announce that ANSI has accepted their VF-1, Fire Design Standard for Vegetative Roofs as an American National Standard. This document was created to provide a design and installation reference for roofing professionals to help eliminate the risk of fire on vegetative / green roofs.
"This was a true industry effort including manufacturers, green roofing professionals, testing organizations, contractors, design professionals and consultants," said Mike Ennis, Technical Director for SPRI.
“This new standard is the result of close collaboration between Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and the Single Ply Roofing Industry and it should help to open the doors to better design practices in the industry and allay overblown concerns about fire,” said Steven Peck, President of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
“The VF-1 Fire Design Guide establishes clear criteria for minimizing the risk of fire on green roofs through prudent design and mandatory maintenance regiment. This milestone in the North American green roof movement facilitates future growth by securing a place in mainstream construction under the International Building Code. This is a great day for the green roof industry and the environment.” said Kelly Luckett, Chair of GRHC’s Technical Committee and President, Green Roof Blocks.
For more details, the ANSI/SPRI VF-1 Fire Design Standard for Vegetative Roofs may be downloaded free of charge from GRHC or SPRI. A code change proposal has been submitted to the International Building Code to include this standard in the 2012 edition of the International Building Code. SPRI and GRHC are working together to complete a design standard related to wind uplift and a standard test for root repellency.
VR-1 Procedure for Investigating Resistence to Root Penetration
This standard is intended for testing the resistance of vegetative roof coverings to normal root and rhizome penetration.
The test described in this standard has been developed to evaluate the ability of a roofing material to resist normal root or rhizome penetration through a root protection barrier, or waterproofing layer including all seams, edges and methods of attachment.
The test is intended to evaluate root resistance of environmentally stable physical barriers. Barriers based on chemical root inhibitors may be evaluated using this procedure; however, it should be noted that the procedure is not suitable for evaluating long-term chemical stability or long-term performance of these barriers. The findings for any membrane or coating which has been tested shall not apply to plants with strong rhizome growth (e.g., bamboo or Chinese reeds varieties).