9 Cooling Rooftop Gardens: Green Roofs That Work Beautifully

Green roofs are proliferating across building types—homes, offices, museums—and for good reason. They beautify, slow stormwater runoff, reduce roof temperature, insulate below, and provide habitat. Two main types exist: extensive (shallow soil, typically sedum) and intensive (deeper soil, varied plantings). Most examples here feature extensive systems.

Eye-Level Green Roof

Zero Energy Design incorporated a raised green roof experienced at eye level from living room and terrace. LiveRoof's hybrid tray system creates a seamless extensive roof.

The Reality of Dormancy

Sedum turns brown in winter—this example shows that green roofs have seasonal cycles. It's as much about soil as plants.

Native Grasses and Wildflowers

Stanley Studio's 5-inch extensive system features native grasses, wildflowers, and solar panels—a stunning laboratory atop their offices. Requires more structural support and plant selection care than sedum, but the result is extraordinary.

Straightforward Sedum with Walkways

Flowering sedum with perimeter gravel walkway—green roofs aren't typically walkable on plants. Walkways enable maintenance and enjoyment. The roof is also visible from adjacent upper floors with their own planters and green roof patch.

Exterior Planting, Central Walkway

Spore Design places sedum on the exterior with a central walkway. In Seattle, this small roof deck provides a patch of green in an urban context.

Cantilevered Green Roof with Railings

Coates Design Architects: green roof above a cantilevered section, railings set back for safety. Grid-like sedum installation extends past railings with pavers and seating.

Feldman Architecture's Varied Approaches

Sloping green roof: Rare on Houzz. Colorful, varied plantings meld with landscape and architecture—structure well-considered, architecture appearing natural, almost inevitable.

Urban terrace: Small terrace isolates green roof with intensive system planters interspersed with pavers. From inside, a slice of nature through glass doors—three walls looking out.

Inaccessible aesthetic roof: Composed like a Japanese rock garden—purely visual, viewed from the second floor.

Next:
Garden Inspiration From New York's New High Line
High Design With Solar Panels
3 Fuss-Free Ways to Garden