There are twice as many green roofs in the Czech Republic compared to 2015

Projectile architects: Pavilion of the first stage of the elementary school and arts school Líbeznice (realization 2015)

Brno/Prague – The area of green roofs in the Czech Republic has more than doubled in the last five years. By the end of 2019, they covered an area of 1.58 million square meters, according to measurements by experts from the Brno Association for the Establishment and Maintenance of Greenery. Green roofs are being built on schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and libraries, stated the Association director Jana Šimečková in a press release today.

In 2019, 256,000 m² of green roofs were added in the Czech Republic. This is an increase of 9,000 m² year-on-year. "Our dream is to have green roofs on square kilometers of logistics companies spread across the country, which developers want on their own and build them without subsidies," stated gardener Josef Zapletal.

The turnover in the green roof sector reached 460 million CZK in 2019, representing a year-on-year growth of 11 percent. "The growth pace in the green roof sector is 5.5 times stronger than the growth rate in ground construction, indicating that more and more intended buildings are being constructed with green roofs," Šimečková noted.

According to her, thanks to activities such as the Green Roof of the Year competition, people are becoming more aware that roofs offer open space with ideal conditions for growing certain types of plants and a chance to increase green space in expanding developments. "More vegetation on roofs allows for more efficient water retention and subsequent evaporation, which cools the surroundings and significantly reduces dust. Green roofs also create environments that many useful insect species and other fauna call home, contributing to increased biodiversity," she added.

Green roofs prevail in new constructions. Greenery on newly proposed structures is technically easier than on already completed buildings. The investors of green roofs are most often private individuals or companies, but public contracts are also increasing. Among private contracts, family and apartment houses dominate, while among public projects, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, governmental buildings, and libraries are the most common.

The trend remains the use of green roofs as measures that help builders comply with legislation and retain stormwater on-site. "However, Czech legislation still lacks a specific regulation that would incorporate green roofs into the context of calculating the amount of drained stormwater, which causes inconsistencies in application in practice," noted Šimečková. A strong trend is the greening of visible surfaces, and where possible, making such areas accessible for occasional stays.

According to the Czech Council for Green Buildings, the state and cities should support green roofs on new and renovated buildings. The council has included the requirement to incorporate green roofs into the mandatory green coefficient for upcoming projects among its recommendations for the New Green Deal, stated its director Simona Kalvoda.

"Incorporating green roofs into the green coefficient will help motivate developers to design them much more in their new constructions. New construction will thus not exacerbate the problem of the heat island effect that cities create due to the accumulation of heat above traditional roofs and asphalt surfaces of roads and areas," added Kalvoda.