reader response draft 1

The article "The Concrete Advantage" states that waterproof concrete removes the need for membrane in green rooftops. The removal of membrane from green rooftops eliminates the need for design and renewal costs, thus saving both time and resources. The article further explains that concrete green rooftops are resistant to water and wear and tear by nature. Root barriers can most likely be eliminated due to the lack of water present in concrete to reduce costs. Furthermore, faults are easily detected and rectified for concrete rooftops. The article concludes that concrete rooftops reduces cost and saves time for planners and builders, benefiting the community and proprietor in the long run and ultimately improving economic sustainability and proprietor approval. Based on the points elaborated, the usage of concrete green roof provides an one-time monetary gain for building owners. However, there are several other long-term economic benefits of concrete green roof worth mentioning.

Firstly, according to the article “What A Green Roof Costs You on the Way to Saving Everything”, (2015), although green roof has a higher installation cost compared to standard roofs, the savings generated from green roof over its entire lifetime will far exceed the initial costings for installing green roof. One of the main benefits of using green roof stems from its capability to save cost over its lifetime. Green roof has the ability to provide shade and insulate buildings to reduce heat energy entering the building and cool roof surfaces through the evapotranspiration process, where the transpiration of plants and evaporation of water present in soil cools the surrounding of the building. With this in mind, concrete green roof not only provides an initial cost savings from eliminating membrane, green roof also reduces electrical cost of buildings due to the shading and insulating properties of a green roof, making concrete green roof a worthy long-term economic investment.

Secondly, the article “Green Roofs”, (2013), states that green roof require workers and supplies for regular maintenance, thus producing jobs for people and manufacturers. Green roof has been known to last from 2 to 4 decades and throughout the lifespan of green roof, maintenance will be required to ensure the green roof function properly to garner the potential electrical cost savings. With the increased awareness on the benefits of using sustainable roofing, there will be a demand for the resources and workers needed for the repeated maintenance. This creates lasting jobs for workers due to the long lifespan of green roof and increased supply demand for resources from manufacturers. With this in mind, green roof creates long-term job opportunities for the society and the country’s economy will benefit from the jobs produced from buildings or infrastructures using green roof.

Lastly, in the article “Flash floods at 9 locations due to intense rain; half of Jan’s average monthly rainfall fell within 4 hours: PUB”, (2018), it was stated that water levels of local water catchment areas were almost full from the rainfall, causing flash floods all around Singapore. Depending on the intensity of vegetation on the green roof, green roof has the potential to retain up to 80% of stormwater. This high stormwater storage capabilities minimizes stormwater runoff and decreases the flowrate of stormwater. The evapotranspiration process also reduces stormwater runoff. With this in mind, the installation of green roofs will effectively reduce stormwater runoff and prevent drainage systems or local catchment areas from flooding, thus providing the economic benefit of preventing hefty flood damages.

Hence, the long-term economic benefits of concrete green roof goes beyond providing an one-time monetary gain for building owners. These benefits include providing the economic benefits of long-term electrical savings, create jobs for the society and prevents hefty flood damages.

References
Green Rooftops. (n.d). The Concrete Advantage. Retrieved, September 25, 2018, from http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html  
National Service Park. (n.d). Green Roof Benefits. Retrieved, September 27, 2018 from https://www.nps.gov/tps/sustainability/new-technology/green-roofs/benefits.htm
Mia, T. (2015, May 22). What a Green Roof Costs You on the Way to Saving Everything. Retrieved from: https://www.thestreet.com/story/13161050/1/what-a-green-roof-costs-you-on-the-way-to-saving-everything.html
Dowdey, S, (2007, July 11). What Does a Green Roof Do? Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/green-rooftop1.htm
The Green Roof Centre. (n.d).  Benefits of Green Roofs. Retrieved, 30 September, 2018 from http://www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk/green_roofs/benifits_of_green_roofs
Lim, A. (2018, January 8) Flash floods at 9 locations due to intense rain; half of Jan’s average monthly rainfall fell within 4 hours: PUB. The Straits Time. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/thundery-showers-cause-flash-floods-in-several-parts-of-singapore
Novy, M. (2013, May). Green Roofs. Retrieved from https://futureofschaumburg.wordpress.com/green-design/green-roofs/
Centre for Architectural Ecology. (n.d.). Why green roofs? Benefits? Retrieved, 30 September, 2018 from https://commons.bcit.ca/greenroof/faq/why-green-roofs-benefits/