Did you know that crowded cities tend to have higher temperatures than the surrounding rural areas? This is due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. Concrete, asphalt and other dark building materials soak up the sun’s rays and become notably warmer, causing temperatures to rise more steeply in areas with more concrete. 

Luckily, some of this heat absorption can be offset by adding green spaces throughout the city. However, space is often at a premium in dense, urban areas, leaving little room for new park development. One innovative solution to this problem is the installation of green roofs — a rooftop design incorporating plants, flowers and other vegetation. By installing a green roof on your residential or commercial building using just two roof paver products alongside our porcelain pavers, you can not only mitigate heat absorption but also add beautiful vibrance to an otherwise unused rooftop space.

What Is a Green Roof?

Green roofs, also known as living roofs, are essentially rooftop gardens. The rooftop can be completely covered in vegetation, or you can combine greenery with hardscaping deck pavers to create a pool deck, rooftop bar or other entertaining space.

By adding a vegetative layer to your rooftop, you’re essentially shading the building below, thereby helping to cool the surrounding air and reduce the temperature of the local atmosphere. Having abundant plant life on your rooftop will also reduce the heat flux through the roof, requiring less energy for cooling or heating the building, which saves you money on utility bills. This shading also protects your rooftop from UV rays and extreme temperature fluctuations, extending the lifespan of your roof and any waterproofing materials underneath your green roof deck.

What Is the Urban Heat Island Effect?

Since buildings absorb and hold onto heat, urban areas retain more heat than rural areas. This phenomenon is what’s known as the urban heat island effect. This phenomenon occurs specifically because dense cities contain more concrete and asphalt than rural areas, and these dark-colored materials store a lot of heat, resulting in higher temperatures in the city.

Not only is the heat island effect more uncomfortable for the city’s residents during the summer, but heat islands also have proven detrimental effects, including increases in energy demand, air pollution, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and instances of heat-related illness.

Using Green Roof Pavers to Reduce the Heat Island Effect

Installing a green roof is a great way to reduce the urban heat island effect and create a healthier and more vibrant environment. With two best-selling Tile Tech products, plant trays and Cool Roof pavers, you can achieve a verdant rooftop oasis with surprising ease. 

Our modular plant trays can be used on roof decks to easily create an outdoor garden. These plants and flowers absorb and store heat, which they then use to release moisture. By using heat in this way, they reduce the temperature of the surrounding area and help create cooler, cleaner air on your rooftop. In fact, shading the outer surface of the building in this way has been shown to be even more effective than internal insulation. Protecting your building from direct solar heat and minimizing heat loss during winter will conserve energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save you hundreds of dollars on electricity bills every year.

Cool Roof pavers similarly help you conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gasses. Created with premium, ultra-white raw materials, Cool Roof deck pavers utilize heat-reflective technology to reduce rooftop temperatures and meet LEED certifications standards. The light-reflecting colors of Cool Roof deck tiles emit absorbed radiation back into the atmosphere, helping the roof stay notably cooler. This also reduces the amount of heat transferred to the building below, which makes it more energy-efficient and lowers utility bills.

Both Cool Roof deck tiles and plant trays work seamlessly with our adjustable pedestal system to quickly and easily create an eco-friendly green roof. Not only can you do your part to reduce the heat island effect in your city, but you can also see immediate benefits through conserved energy usage — especially important as energy costs are expected to steeply rise over 2023.

Here at Tile Tech, we have everything you need to create the ultimate green roof. Our unique plant tray system is engineered to be used in conjunction with our adjustable pedestals and porcelain deck tiles to create a stunning urban oasis for your residential or commercial project. To find out more about our complete product selection as well as installation services, give Tile Tech a call today at (888) 380-5575 or fill out our online contact form. We would be more than happy to send you a free catalog, quote or product sample upon your request.