Green roofs reduce and filter runoff water and provide insulation, which reduces the urban heat-island effect.

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By Allie Bell

Carole Hunter and Bil Taylor's roof is green, but not because they have an odd sense of style.

Their roof is home to an environment-friendly, thriving desert garden.

"It's unique, and people are always surprised when they see it," Hunter said.

Taylor, a Tucson architect, wanted to do something different with the flat roof he had designed for the home about four years ago, and that's where his idea for a green roof began.

Green roofs — roofs covered with vegetation — cut down on the urban heat-island effect that makes big cities 5 to 10 degrees warmer than rural areas.

"While doing (the roof), we discovered there were other benefits to having a roof garden as well," Taylor said.

Their green roof was made possible by a water-quality-improvement grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant was given because green roofs reduce runoff by about 50 percent to 90 percent because the vegetation absorbs rainwater. The plants also act as a filter that minimizes pollutants in the water that does run off.

Taylor said the green roof also provides insulation.

Chris Evans, who collaborated on the design of the home with Taylor, said a lot of adaptations were needed to make a green roof in Tucson.

"There weren't any precedents for a green roof in the desert," Evans said. "We had to learn from what others had done elsewhere and adapt it to Tucson's unique conditions."

Phred Bartholomaei, from the Blue Mesa Studios landscape architectural office, helped design the roof's landscape and irrigation. He said the biggest limitation in creating the project was the extreme environmental conditions on the roof.

"Typically when someone thinks of a green roof, examples from wetter areas are often brought to mind," Bartholomaei said. "Our climate is very different. The growing environment was not only hot, sunny, windy, dry and exposed — it also flooded on a regular basis."

In addition to the environmental adaptations, Evans said, the roof structure had to be modified to accommodate the load of the soil and landscaping.

"Most roofs are not designed to accept the additional weight," Evans said. "If someone has an existing roof that they are hoping to install a roof garden on, they need to confirm that the structure would accommodate the additional weight."

Green roofs are not something the average person should attempt, Bartholomaei said.

"Leave it to the professionals," he said. "Seriously, a green roof is little different than creating a shallow pond on your roof."