Because of their many energy-saving and environmental benefits, green roofs are a promising technology for energy-efficient buildings. In a green roof, a layer of vegetation covers the surface of a roof to provide shade, cool indoor and outdoor temperatures, stormwater management, and more. The main components are waterproofing, soil, and plants. This course covers applications, federal sector potentials, technology performance, development, and outlook. In addition, case studies and systems examples are given.

The study material for this course consists of the document, "Green Roofs"(DOE/EE-0298).

This course is intended primarily for civil, energy, environmental, and construction engineers.  Someone completing this course will gain knowledge of green roofs and their benefits, design, installation and maintenance.

Upon completion of this course, the learner will have specific knowledge about the following:

• Potential applications of Green Roofs
• Barriers to implementation of Green Roofs
• Benefits and variations of Green Roofs
• Architectural criteria for Green Roofs
• Potentials for use of Green Roofs in the Federal Sector
• Where to apply Green Roofs and what to avoid
• Installation procedures for Green Roofs
• Integrating Green Roofs into existing structures
• Maintenance requirements for Green Roofs
• Issues with structure warranties for Green Roofs
• Complying with building codes for Green Roofs
• Construction and operating costs for Green Roofs
• Utility incentives programs and support for Green Roofs
• Green Roof technology performance, development and outlook