HuffPost Readers Sent In Their Green Roofs -- Now Pick Your Favorite!

Last week, we asked HuffPost Green readers to send in their photos of green roofs. To recap, when we say "green roof," we mean putting plant life on top of a building to help with insulation, rain runoff, carbon emissions and the heat island effect. But as our readers' photos show, green roofs are pretty easy on the eyes, too!

We put together a slideshow of the best submissions. Below the slideshow, you'll find some details about each roof -- and you'll get to vote on your favorite.

• • • • • • • • • • #1

Vote on your favorite of the roofs below -- but be sure to read the details on each roof for more information! Thank you to everyone who sent in their photos, even if yours wasn't chosen for the final slideshow. We received lots of great submissions.

Quick Poll

Which green roof do you like best?

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#1
"I am a net producer of solar--that is, every year I produce and excess of solar over my total usage. Only the top roof is solar--these are Unisolar panels that are laminated directly to my steel roof. This solar home of 3,500 s.f. cost $117 per s.f. just 5 years ago." Sent in by Loren Cole.

#2
From a collection of old buildings in a park in Sweden. Sent in by Will Wilson, Durham, N.C.

#3
"Sod roof on a straw-bale house built in 2007 at Blue Oak Farm, seven miles southeast of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in the Motherlode of California. No air conditioning needed (none installed) in summer with temperatures routinely over 100 F, wood fire keeps 1,800-square-foot house cozy in winter."

#4
Residential green roof sent in by Seattle architect Geoff Belau.

#5
"Here's a snap of a green roof that I think is a little different from the normal green roofs you might see - this part of the green roof is a little lawn (there's more to this particular roof, including sedums and fruit trees, but it's the lawn that sets it apart, I think). It's on the 6th Floor of a building in chinatown, NYC." Sent in by Amy Trachtman, www.goodegreennyc.com.

#6
"This is a shot of our green roof on our barn. In my youth I was milking cows under that roof. I am the fifth generation on the farm and have now migrated the farm to a niche business supplying plants for green roof."

#7
"This is a 9,000-square-foot green roof covering part of the Albemarle County Office Building in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was the first green roof in the region (completed in July 2005) and has received thousands of visitors. Monitoring indicates that the temperature of the green roof is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter (than conventional roofs) and that approximately 0.5 inches of rainfall is retained on the roof." For more info, see www.albemarle.org/greenroof

#8
"Our roof is covered with 8 species of sedums planted by our office staff in a modular system designed by Green Roof Blocks. This roof has been growing for nearly 2 ½ years. Since this roof in planted outside of our office windows, we see birds, butterflies, bugs of all sort, and even hawks populating our roof." Sent in by Jared Gilbert, Cook+Fox Architects.

#9
Earthbag storm/rootcellar built for Mother Earth News magazine by Owen Geiger of EarthbagBuilding.com.

#10
555 South Dearborn in Chicago. Sent in by Katherine Darnstadt of Box Design Studio.

Comments

[kellyhart]

02:20 PM on 01/25/2009

In considering the most green of all the entries one should consider the materials used to create the green roof as well as the plantings that occur. For this reason I voted for #9, the earthbag root cellar, because it was created by stacking bags of soil rather than using a lot of concrete and steel to support a large flat roof. This is a much more sustainable approach to building.

[kellygrrrl]

07:02 PM on 01/24/2009

They are all great! I'm voting for #5 because I love the modern style.

[kdarnstadt]

12:50 PM on 01/22/2009

We have found that the grass roof installed in #10 does need maintenance in the form of lawn mowing, via a small electric mower that is stored next to the penthouse on the roof. People in the adjacent high rise offices do get a kick out of watching someone mow their roof. No chemicals are used and no additional watering necessary. There is a diverse habitat of birds, insects and butterflies that populate the penthouse green roof and the lawn.

Although sedum is a more diverse and sustainable choice, having your children play outside, make snowmen in the winter and play with their dogs is an immeasurable benefit. Having a 'back yard' was one of the requirements from our client's wife when they were first married and talking of a dream home. In addition to the laundry list of benefits of a green roof, a happy wife is also key.

[AirForceWx1701]

11:21 PM on 01/21/2009

At my previous duty station, Ramstein Air Base in Germany, a giant new mall is being constructed by AAFES [Army/Air Force Exchange Service]. The entire complex has a green roof--or, it would, if they hadn't gone with the lowest bidder- Google "Ramstein mall" for background. When it is complete, one of the kargest AAFES in the world will have a green roof. Shame it's not done, looks like it'll be very impressive.

[ebethiri]

10:38 PM on 01/21/2009

While I am glad to see green roofs gaining popularity here in America, I am disapointed that so many of these roofs feature grass. Grass provides very little habitat value and needs more water and chemicals (typically) than more sustainable choices like sedum.

[GreenRoofGuy]

10:34 PM on 01/21/2009

As the designer of the #8 green roof selection on the Cook + Fox green roof project in Manhattan, I guess my bias towards that project is pretty transparent. I would like to point out that all of the plants for that project were provided by Emory Knoll Farms, so in essence they have two of their projects in the competition. A fact not mentioned in the caption is that the Cook + Fox green roof is a modular green roof. This really came into play last year when the roofing under the green roof needed to be replaced. The entire green roof was moved to an adjacent roof section and repositioned after the new roofing was installed. The entire process is documented using time lapse photography and set to video. Here a link; enjoy: http://www.greenroofblocks.com/images/Cook_Fox_3.wmv

[Cynth]

09:17 PM on 01/21/2009

It was hard to choose, but I went #8, since it's stunning, functional, and it uses sedum (low maintenance and water requirements). The lawn-based ones are lovely, but it tends to take more water and care to maintain. #6 is great, too, but the description lacks more relevant detail. Kudos, all!

[Julie Gabrielli]

10:02 AM on 01/21/2009

This is a great idea to raise the visibility of one of the most wonderful aspects of green & sustainable architecture. I voted for #6 because it's the roof of Emory Knoll Farms, the East Coast's first and largest supplier of green roof plants. They are the go-to experts for green roofing. To have a truly sustainable world, green roofs are one important aspect -- and there are many others! GOforChange (http://www.goforchange.com) highlights many businesses and organizations that are working for an environmentally and socially sustainable world.

[rgdot]

11:20 PM on 01/20/2009

Border Collies=Automatic vote from me. For all things green so the choice probably comes down to that.

[BobSF94117]

01:48 AM on 01/21/2009

I rationalize my choice of this green lawn over the one with low-water plants on the basis that this roof is multi-purpose.

Oh, heck... it's cuz of the doggies!

[kae]

09:02 PM on 01/20/2009

so cool, these are all great - I like 8 for aesthetics and 10 for it's function..10 is my favorite - something we need more of in our cities, perfect for dogs but the photo on the right freaks me out a little--I'd raise the height on the perimeter fencing, 2 border collies and a tennis ball seems dangerously obvious....careful doggies

[pokemon]

11:02 PM on 01/20/2009

Go fetcccccchhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

[No Hazmats]

08:41 PM on 01/20/2009

I voted for number 6 because it is the most green building. A renovated barn with highly reflective roofing, solar photovoltaics, and green roof that collects water from the entire south side of the roof. It's about the stormwater, man......

[Teresa Tate]

07:46 PM on 01/20/2009

THIS is the type of competition we need to see in America! How about the newest reality show:
America's greenest (yet affordable) builder? Or The Next Top Green Business? Who cares about hairstylists and models. Let's see something of actual substance.

[plugger]

07:31 PM on 01/20/2009

how about the roofs of the 500 private jets , one in which Al Gore was on, that flew into DC

[DubiousAtBest]

07:51 PM on 01/20/2009

Yeah our former vice-president should WALK to DC, right?

Mor0n.

[tbone99]

07:20 PM on 01/20/2009

Could someone refer me to a site about how people install & water these roofs ? if they do( I live in ElPaso ,and have a flat roof )

[Dave Burdick]

09:54 PM on 01/20/2009

Hi! Start here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/14/green-roofs-all-you-need_n_157935.html

[tbone99]

11:12 AM on 01/21/2009

awesome -thank you!

[pokemon]

06:53 PM on 01/20/2009

If only this were a national law.