We install a greenhouse on the roof or attic of the house. Roof garden: original ways of gardening the roofs of houses with a photo Do-it-yourself winter garden on the roof of a garage

Often, owners of summer cottages are concerned about the issue of saving territory. A good solution to this summer problem will be the placement of a greenhouse on the roof of an outbuilding. And even better - arrange it right in the attic of the house.

Hothouse on the roof of the bath.
Greenhouse on a brick garage.
Greenhouse-winter garden on the roof.

Economic advantages of a rooftop greenhouse

Such a decision will help the owner of the cottage to solve many issues:

This is an additional protection against precipitation of the roof of the building.
The organization of the greenhouse in the attic will increase the thermal insulation of the house.
Heat losses, which are almost impossible to completely get rid of, will be used expediently.
Saving land on the site will allow you to grow more crops. And if the seedlings were previously grown in a room on the windowsill, then moving the boxes to the greenhouse will make life more comfortable and the house cleaner.
Carbon dioxide rising from living quarters is essential for gas exchange and plant photosynthesis.
There is no need to spend money on lighting, because plants are provided with light throughout the day - trees and buildings do not interfere with the development of plants, since the structure rises above everything that gives shade on a sunny day.
By placing a greenhouse on the roof, the owner saves on the foundation, conducting communications for plumbing, heating and ventilation.

An important factor is the fact that the greenhouse, located on the ground, is in direct contact with the soil in early spring, when it is still completely frozen. On the roof, there is no such problem. Therefore, the roots of plants receive more heat, and the seeds germinate faster.

The carbon dioxide that humans emit is needed by plants for photosynthesis.

Ways to equip a greenhouse on the roof

There are several options for organizing this know-how.

Type "Second roof"

A greenhouse is equipped directly on the building itself, using the roof as its foundation, if it is not sloping. To do this, you will need to build the walls up. It is best to make them with a transparent material, such as glass. You should also take care of the second roof, which, like walls, allows light to pass through.

You can use the second option: make the second roof gable or single-pitched. Of course, working in such a greenhouse will not be as comfortable as where the walls have been built up, but in economic terms, this option wins.

Drawing equipment for a greenhouse on a flat roof.

Attic type of greenhouse

This option consists in the fact that the owner simply redoes the roof itself, replacing it with a transparent one. Boxes with earth and plants are installed in the attic.

It is important to remember that each building has its own purpose. And if the attic in the house was equipped with the expectation to play the role of only a mezzanine for storing rarely used items with low weight, then it is quite possible that it will not be able to withstand the load that is intended for the greenhouse.

Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the supporting beams, the floor itself. There is another option: lay a new floor in the attic, bringing it outside a little further than the walls. Its edges must be installed on new pillars-supports. Then the greenhouse will not create additional load on the walls and ceiling of the building.

Drawing for strengthening the greenhouse structure.

If the house was originally planned as a building with an attic, which it was decided to use as a greenhouse, then there should be practically no problems with refurbishment.

Greenhouse on the roof or attic, planned before the construction of the building

It is optimal to foresee the equipment of the greenhouse in advance even before the construction of a house or an outbuilding begins. Indeed, in this case, during the preparation of the project, it is possible to calculate the bearing capacity of the floor so that subsequently there is no sagging of the beams and the occurrence of other undesirable moments.

Rooftop greenhouse equipment

The owner who decides on this know-how should take care of factors such as:

greenhouse water supply;
floor waterproofing;
ventilation;
light flow control.

Water supply

The greenhouse needs water, because plants require constant. You can, of course, carry it in buckets upstairs, although this is difficult. But in any case, you need to make sure that the stairs to the greenhouse are comfortable and durable.

It is best, of course, to carry the water upstairs. This is not so difficult to do if the house itself already has running water.

If there is water only in the column, which cannot be manipulated while in the greenhouse, then you can put some container there, which you fill with a watering hose, and then water the plants from it.

Waterproofing

And here the question arises: what can happen if the hose suddenly breaks or is pushed out of the tank, the water container itself overturns or simply begins to slowly leak imperceptibly? The answer is not optimistic. Therefore, it is important to take care of the waterproofing of the greenhouse floor.

You can coat it with hot bituminous mastic. There is another option: put a roll of waterproofing on it.

Ventilation

It is worth considering that warm air always rises. Therefore, the temperature in the greenhouse will be much higher than if it were on the ground. Therefore, the problem of its ventilation is far from the last.

The winter garden in a private house provides a living space of unique quality and is an oasis of relaxation. The winter garden is quickly becoming the de facto center of the home. A variety of plant care systems are installed in a light-filled, weatherproof room. How to make a winter garden yourself?

The best options for winter gardens: photos + diagrams

The winter garden in a private house or apartment varies in design - from transparent and spacious halls for indoor seasonal winter gardens to fully insulated ones, made in various styles from modern materials or ready-made kits.

Schemes of manufactured prefabricated structures "winter garden": photo

The meaning of the words "greenhouse, winter garden, greenhouse" are interchangeable. A winter garden in a private house is a technically more complex building designed for planting or propagating plants - it is possible to grow strawberries in January or enjoy exotic tropical plants. The winter garden project can be found on our website or ordered from specialists. Also on our website you can find a video on how to organize a winter garden on the site.

The winter garden can be stationary or collapsible.

The glass walls of the winter garden are adjacent to the houses and are intended primarily for pleasure, relaxation among the plants. Installation of a winter garden is shown in the training videos on our website.

3D design of a winter garden adjacent to the wall of the house.

Construction of a winter garden in a private house: step by step instructions with photos

If a winter garden in a private house can be done by hand, you can use bricks or blocks, stone to build a wall with the best insulation values. The construction of the walls of a brick winter garden is quite simple, but it must be based on the foundation. The floor is insulated. For waterproofing when installed on a concrete base, moisture-resistant membranes are used, as well as moisture-proof membranes under the concrete floor. This will stop water infiltration and wetting problems.

When it is planned to build a winter garden, a project for a winter garden for growing plants, care, heating, and technical equipment is created. Special glazing of the winter garden prevents the greenhouse from overheating in the summer. For safety, tempered glass is used, especially overhead. Experts recommend single or double glazing.

The use of innovative artificial materials and technical means greatly facilitates the care of plants. Video tutorials will help you make the best use of your garden space and materials.

The winter garden is a structure that produces a microclimate ideal for plant growth.

How to make a winter garden - step by step instructions:

Step 1: Choose a location. According to the project, all auxiliary structures should be located to the north of the winter garden, and a greenhouse is installed on the south side of the house. One of the main components of the winter garden is a canopy. Choosing the south wall of the house is a good option.
Proven projects favor locations with morning and midday sun. An open area of morning light will increase plant growth. If there are trees or bushes near the winter garden, they should not provide shade until the end of the day.
Pay attention to the position of the winter and summer sun in relation to the house. If the area in the east is open and sunny, there will be more sun in the winter garden from November to February.
For the project, choose a location near the house that has access to electricity. Most conservatories require a lot of heat and ventilation to keep the air temperature at an optimal level.
Select well-drained areas for the project, or you will need to pump out excess rainwater from the conservatory.
Measure the location of the conservatory. Whether you are building a conservatory from scratch or assembling from a prefabricated kit, you must choose the size carefully.
Choose a ready-made conservatory kit if you have little experience.
Make a canopy with your own hands. You can also build a simple shed that uses the walls of the house as a support. If the structure is brick, the heat from the house will keep the temperature stable in the garden.
The domed ceiling of the winter garden can be made by hand from steel supports or PVC pipes.
The project of a winter garden on the roof of the house (photo) with your own hands.
Winter garden insulation in a private house (photo)
Glazing of the winter garden.
Creation of the foundation of the winter garden.
Winter garden ventilation.
A complete do-it-yourself winter garden project in a private house.

Do-it-yourself construction of a winter garden in an apartment

Building a do-it-yourself winter garden in a prefabricated apartment is the most cost-effective method. How to make a winter garden with your own hands in an ordinary apartment? Step by step installation is shown in the tutorial videos. Full instructions are in the selected winter garden kit, but there are basic steps:

Select the area in the apartment where the winter garden will be installed.
Check the type and shape of the base of the conservatory set and install the fixings. When installing, it is necessary to accurately check each corner depending on the shape of the base of the prefabricated structure.
Then they make heating, sewage and plumbing supplies from the apartment.
In addition, do not forget about membrane waterproofing and, if necessary, installing a winter garden on a concrete base or creating a “warm floor” system.
Then a set of panels or metal-plastic partitions of the winter garden is assembled with your own hands. For good lighting for the greenhouse in the apartment, it is recommended to install French windows.
Electric sockets, air ventilation system or split system, automated control are installed.

In the apartment, the winter garden has a universal use - for growing crops and plants of interest and recreation.

Making a winter garden on the balcony: photo

A loggia or balcony can be converted into a comfortable winter garden in a house or apartment. For this, double-glazed windows are installed instead of a balcony railing. Glazing can be made with wooden, plastic PVC or aluminum frames with double-glazed windows.

The winter garden on the balcony of the apartment must be isolated from all blind surfaces - side walls and ceilings, in order to reduce thermal bridges at the junction of internal compartments. Only the most up-to-date high-quality materials are used for the flawless finishing of the winter garden on the balcony. Insulation of balconies and loggias of the apartment is made using the most advanced technologies, which make it possible to get a cozy and warm atmosphere of a balcony or loggia.

These are high-quality Isover materials, penofol and others. The winter garden on the balcony is insulated with polystyrene foam boards, which create an uninterrupted layer of insulation so that the heating system provides adequate thermal protection and comfort.

It is worth reducing the thickness of the insulation so as not to unreasonably reduce the usable area of the balcony. It is important to choose high-tech materials for a project with very good performance. The best solution is to use gray EPS boards for the façade with a coefficient l = 0.031 W/mK.

On the ceiling, rigid insulation is used, which is mounted under the screed.

The winter garden on the balcony of the apartment needs electricity. For air ventilation and temperature control, heating, air conditioning or split systems are connected.

Plants are planted in pots or boxes. Plants are placed vertically to save space.

Construction of a winter garden on the roof of a house or over a garage

The winter garden is built mainly from translucent walls and roofs, they have an external door. It is a good practice to arrange greenhouses on the roofs of a house or garage with your own hands - this saves the area of \u200b\u200bthe site, allows you to do without a foundation and warms up more easily.

You need to make sure that the roofs of the house or garage on which the greenhouse is located are strong enough to support the weight of the new structure. The garage foundations are not deep enough to handle the extra weight of the greenhouse floors, walls, and ceilings. If strengthening is required, choose suitable foundations for the project, waterproofing.

Proofing and insulation on the garage are weather resistant. Assembly is carried out according to the instructions. Windows and air ventilation must meet minimum standards for energy efficiency and adequate ventilation. There are many different designs for winter gardens on the roof of a garage or house, as all winter gardens are made standard.

Foundation device

Before starting work on the project, in order to organize a winter garden in a private house, they create a foundation with their own hands. Regardless of the type of foundation, it is necessary to make high-quality floor insulation and place sewer pipes.

On reclaimed lands, a winter garden in a house will require a reinforced base.
The most common type are deep strip foundations, which are used in low-cost conservatory construction with suitable soil conditions.
It is faster to prepare a foundation pit with your own hands and create a concrete solid sole - this allows you to quickly start building a winter garden. Sole may be an acceptable alternative if deep trench filling cannot be used.
Pile foundations are sometimes used for conservatories on reclaimed land.

On clay soils containing fine mineral particles, silt and sand, moisture changes and changes in volume occur. To avoid shrinkage and expansion problems, the foundation trench is usually dug to a depth where the moisture content of the clay remains stable.

The winter garden in the house is based on a foundation with a recommended minimum depth of about one meter, and concrete pouring is done quickly. If there are trees or shrubs closer than 35 meters from the house to the planned winter garden, they will affect the construction, change the moisture level in the soil.

On reclaimed lands, a reinforced pile or reinforced foundation is required. The width of the foundation depends on the local type of soil, but usually it is minimal - 450 mm. The minimum depth for concreting is 225 mm.

If the trenches are filled with concrete more than 500 mm deep and at least 150 mm below ground level, it is required to line them with reinforcement mesh. Such a foundation is needed when the soil is loose, in areas with high water tables or heavy clay, or when trees are near a private home.

A solid sole is poured if a crack opens in the union of the house and the future building or the load of the winter garden will be significant.

A winter garden in a private house is installed on a pile foundation - they are used for areas with high groundwater, on reclaimed lands, or where there are subsidence problems. Piles or reinforced concrete beams are driven into the ground around the perimeter of the future building.

Regardless of the type of foundation and type of flooring, the floor is insulated. This can be done with 125 mm polystyrene decking, which is laid below or above the concrete slab, but below the screed. If underfloor heating is installed, floor insulation is especially important - it saves energy and creates the comfort of being at home.

Assembling the frame for the winter garden

Conservatories, thanks to the development of industry, can be purchased in the form of ready-made glazed panels that support the style of the Victorian era, Gothic, Moorish, modern European and even Anglo-Japanese garden architecture. The structure of the building is often represented by a structure similar to a crystal palace.

For convenience, winter gardens are equipped with the latest technology that regulates air temperature and atmospheric conditions, delivers water, provides heating, irrigation and ventilation. The garden is also naturally ventilated.

Some typical designs are modular in nature. Frames are made of steel, metal-plastic, wood, aluminum. This means that the conservatory is made up of standard pieces that match in size and make it possible to form an attractive greenhouse of a certain shape around a private house.

Some manufacturers produce interchangeable modules. Prefabricated structures in the kit or double-glazed windows make it easy to assemble a winter garden or greenhouse. The use of garden frame structures requires, when pouring the foundation, to create fasteners at the distances indicated in the instructions.

to lay the base level - the foundation,
insulate the floor
assemble the structure, install the necessary equipment.

Parts of the garden set are fixed with the provided connections on the foundation. If the construction of a winter garden near the house is done independently, all the necessary fasteners and complete detailed instructions will help to build a reliable and stylish structure.

The prefabricated steel frame garden is quite new but popular. The prefabricated base of the winter garden is installed against the wall of a private house. The wall sections of the garden are made of galvanized steel to prevent corrosion and are made using "brickwork" and are connected with steel frames.

They are quick and easy to install and are ideal for restricted access areas around the home. An additional advantage is the service channels for electrical cables.

Technical aspects of the winter garden above the house

For normal operation of the winter garden above the house, effective floor insulation with low weight must be installed. The use of lightweight innovative materials and membranes avoids the flow of water from the garden into the living quarters of a private house. The dense construction of polystyrene insulation is thermally efficient but heavy. Membranes are much easier and more efficient to use under and over the screed.

Photo of the winter garden above the house

The next necessary aspect is heating, water and sewerage. For the construction of a roof garden, the supplies of these services are made directly from a private house or apartment.

Electric lighting is very important for plants. In addition, modern equipment that maintains the air temperature in the garden, humidity, ventilation through the windows, ventilation and other functions is also connected to the electrical network of the house and is automatically controlled by the remote control.

Heat is also supplied with the help of heating systems, hot water supply, split systems, heaters and in a passive way - radiant heat.

Conservatories need ventilation to control heat and humidity. Garden ventilation is provided with the help of high technology and a simple opening of the windows. An automatic computerized system is also installed, which responds to changing modes. Cheaper devices for garden heating can be represented by heaters, fans.

Do-it-yourself glazing of the winter garden

Polymeric and tempered glass is used for glazing the winter garden. When choosing the shape of a green garden, it is worth considering an effective double glazing with the following characteristics:

Tempered low heat reflective 28mm thick glazing is essential to keep the heat in the space without additional heating.
Polycarbonate roofing 25/35 thick is used for the roof of the winter garden, as it provides good thermal insulation and is also very cost-effective.

Polycarbonate is used for glazing garden panels if it is necessary to reduce the weight and cost of the structure. It is a virtually unbreakable material that diffuses light evenly and provides uniform natural heating and lighting, and also acts as a barrier to heat loss in the garden. The material is ideal for panels, roofs and also makes vulnerable doors and windows safer.

Toughened glass is considered a versatile glazing material, but comes at a high price and a decent weight. You can choose from the most popular materials and cut the glass of the right size for garden windows yourself or have a specialist.

You can purchase metal-plastic PVC windows and panels that perfectly cope with the task of lightening and keeping warm in winter gardens. On wooden frames, glass is fixed with glazing beads over putty.

Installation of a winter garden on the roof

A winter garden installed on the roof of a house will have a great impact on a private house, and in high-rise buildings - on neighbors. When drawing up work plans, it is necessary to take into account the reliability of insulation, the weight of the garden structure, technical equipment, sewerage and water supply from the house, and artificial lighting. To maximize natural light from the south, the garden design should not be shaded.

Building materials for installation are selected on the principle of minimum weight and maximum performance, especially if the house is built using unusual construction methods or materials.

Schemes of structures of the winter garden on the roof of the house.

During the installation of the garden, the following work is carried out:

For the base, the depth of waterproofing and protection against leakage of the house are taken into account,
Garden floors and walls – structure and reinforcement, insulation and soundproofing,
For flat or pitched roofs - insulation, supports and beams, height,
Garden drainage - connection to the existing sewerage and water supply of the house,
Electrical connection and garden heating,
Windows, doors and ventilation, sound insulation,
For garden fire safety - escape routes and smoke detectors, stairs, handrails and railings.

When the work is completed, the operation of all garden systems or a single automatic split system, the operation of transoms, doors is checked. Do not use an open fire on the roof of the house for heating.

Engineering communications for the winter garden (greenhouse) on the roof

Each garden is unique in terms of shape and size. Professional installers will be able to offer a fully managed service for the winter garden, which includes all aspects of operation.

Drainage of storm water from the roofs of the house is carried out using special gutters and downpipes. They are placed in the profiles of the garden design. Adequate ventilation of the conservatory is the most important. Modern garden air conditioning systems have fully replaced outdated supply and exhaust ventilation.

Micro irrigation, controlled by a common remote control, allows you to maintain the humidity of the garden - without spilling water on the floor. The thermostat controls the temperature in the garden. Automatic opening of windows or glass shutters helps to take care of the plants.

We select plants for the winter garden

Fans choose exotic, tropical plants for the winter garden, berries, fruitful dwarf trees. Popular plants for the garden are strawberries and wild strawberries, various types of decorative flowers. If the winter garden in the house is equipped with a fountain, it is decorated with lilies.

Photo of a blooming winter garden in the apartment.

Orchids are among the most capricious and extraordinarily beautiful greenhouse flowers. They create real thickets in the garden of an apartment or a private house. Cacti and palm trees, dwarf conifers are also in demand among the owners of winter gardens.

Photo of tropical plants.

Flower growers during the year replace some plants for the winter garden with others - flowering ones.

January	kalanchoe, primrose
February	kalanchoe, daffodils, tulips, muscari, hyacinth
March	daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, lilies, kalanchoe
April	lilies, hydrangeas, stocks, daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, pelargoniums
May	Pelargoniums, Asiatic Lilies, Oriental Lilies, Astilbe, Schizantus
June	oriental lilies, begonias, gypsophila
July	Tuberous Begonias, Blue Salvia, Astilbe, Celosia, Gomphrena, Veronica, Rudbeckia, Zinnia
August	zinnia, perilla, vincha, rudbeckia, herb show, blue salvia, echinacea,
September	cyclamen, shasta daisy, gomphrena, zinnia, vincha, begonias
October	cyclamen, chrysanthemum
November	chrysanthemums, christmas cactus, ornamental peppers
December	silk oak

With the help of flowers, they create a cozy garden atmosphere in which you can relax with a book in your hands. The main thing is to select plants that have similar conditions for development. Do-it-yourself winter garden is not a fantasy.

Candidate of Architecture N. TITOVA.

Truly, it defies all logic when an area equal to the whole city is not used, and the slate is left to admire the stars!
Le Corbusier

The garden on the roof of the five-story garage of the Kaiser Center in Oakland (USA). Created in the late 1950s. Architect T. Osmundson.

A corner of the garden on the roof of the Moscow International House of Music in Moscow. The author of the project is the architect E. Yu. Zvyagintseva.

The famous gardens of Babylon (reconstruction option).

Roof garden design.

Rooftop garden at the Kaiser Center in Vancouver, Canada. Architect T. Osmundson.

The rooftop garden of a pharmaceutical company restaurant in Switzerland.

One of the major European rooftop gardens, known as the "Derry and Thoms" garden. Built in 1938 on the roof of a six-story office building in London. Architect R. Hancock.

Around Barcelona (Spain). Rooftop garden of a former cement factory. Architect R. Bofill.

A residential building in Tashkent has several gardens on artificial grounds.

Garden boulevard on the roof of an underground garage in the complex of buildings of RAO Gazprom in Moscow.

Heating of the roof surface depending on the coating material: 1 - black roll coating; 2 - light gravel; 3 - light-colored wooden flooring; 4 - vegetation cover.

Science and life // Illustrations

The daily temperature regime of a flat roof in summer and winter (according to the results of studies conducted in England and Germany): A - traditional roll coating; B - grass cover.

A fragment of the Tsar's Garden plan: 1 - an observation deck overlooking the Kremlin; 2 - platform with a sundial; 3 - flower garden; 4 - a reservoir with a sculpture "Royal Throne"; 5 - alley with benches.

A kind of imitation of the "gardens of Babylon" was a magnificent hanging garden, laid out in the 16th-17th centuries on the rocks of the island of Isola Bella in Northern Italy.

Architectural and planning solution for roof gardens: A - grass roofs; B - gardens on terraces; B - gardens on the roofs of outbuildings (garages, shops); G - roof-gardens of multi-storey buildings.

"HANGING" GARDENS: FROM ANCIENTITY TO THE PRESENT DAYS

The modern city is advancing on nature at an unprecedented pace. Less and less land remains within its boundaries, not occupied by buildings and highways, not bound by asphalt and other hard surfaces, and the air is increasingly polluted by emissions of substances harmful to humans and all living things. Plants, these healing "lungs" of the urban environment, have practically no place left.

Therefore, it is not at all surprising that today, of all the seven "wonders of the world," the "gardens of Babylon" are most often remembered - the terraced gardens erected around 600 BC were called in ancient Babylon. on the vaults of the palace cellars. They towered 25 meters above the ground and amazed contemporaries with their beauty and magnificence. To an even earlier period - 2113 BC. - archaeologists attribute the planting of tall trees on the terraces of towers - ziggurats. Many other examples could be cited. Among them are gardens that have survived to this day. Such is the hanging garden above the enfilades of halls and grottoes of the palace of Cardinal Borromeo on the island of Isola Bella in Northern Italy. The construction of the garden dates back to the end of the 16th century - the late Renaissance.

Rooftop gardens first appeared in Russia in the 17th century: they were arranged over cellars, warehouses, granaries, and they belonged to the royal family, the higher clergy, and later to the merchants.

Hanging gardens, which were called "riding", decorated the terraces of the palace at the living rooms of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1623, two large embankment gardens were laid - Upper and Lower. The upper garden, built by the gardener Nazar Ivanov, was located on the vaults of the Reserve Yard, descending to the foot of the Kremlin Hill. According to the well-known historian I. Zabelin, it was surrounded by a stone fence with frequent openings and had "62 sazhens in length and 8 sazhens in width", which was about 2600 m 2. From the openings, decorated with carved gratings, an extensive view of Zamoskvorechye opened. Water in an artificial reservoir with "water platoons" (fountains), located on the roof, was supplied by a special mechanism, which was located in the Kremlin's Water Tower, which still exists today.

For the device of hanging gardens, lead bars were laid on stone vaults. They were soldered, and vegetable soil was poured on top "by an arshin and a quarter" and fruit trees and shrubs were planted. In the Lower Garden, which is smaller in area, the reservoir was used not only as a decorative element, but also for breeding fish. The walls surrounding the Upper Garden were painted from the inside by the master Peter Engeles with "perspective painting" - painting using plant motifs, visually expanding the space. The "riding" gardens existed for almost 150 years, until the Kremlin Palace was built in their place.

In the same 17th century, the “red”, that is, beautiful, gardens of the boyars Golitsyns and Ordin-Nashchokins, located at the level of the upper floors of residential buildings, were famous in Moscow.

Later, already in the 18th century, hanging gardens appeared at the living quarters of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (architect B. Rastrelli). The garden in the Small Hermitage was located above the palace stables along two galleries - Petrovskaya and Romanovskaya - and resembled an open-air gallery.

Hanging gardens remained the property of the nobility and rich people for a long time, and only in the middle of the 19th century, in connection with the advent of new building materials and structures, their "mass" construction began in Europe. A real sensation was the demonstration in Paris at the World Exhibition of 1867 of a model of a garden on the roof of the house of the famous German builder and inventor Karl Rabitz. When publishing photographs of the garden, newspapers wrote: "We are waiting for architects to start using this decoration of housing in construction. There is no doubt that gardens soaring in height will find practical use in modern and future construction."

And indeed, soon the roofs of not only houses in Europe, but also the first profitable and private houses in Moscow and St. Petersburg were decorated with gardens. In 1908, a garden with a fountain and a rose garden was "spread" on the roof of the Merchants' Club on Malaya Dmitrovka (now the Lenkom Theatre, architect I. Ivanov-Shits). The first Moscow "skyscraper" (architect E. R. Nirnsee), a ten-story residential building that has survived to this day in Bolshoy Gnezdnikovsky Lane, also became famous. On its flat roof there was a pavilion surrounded by plants in tubs and boxes, it either served as a film studio for filming the panorama of the city, or it was a cafe called the Roof, or a dressing room at the roller skating rink.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the theoretical works, projects and buildings of the most prominent architects and urban planners, in particular the American F. L. Wright and the Frenchman Le Corbusier, who could not imagine the city of the future without roof gardens, were very famous. The roof garden was hailed by Le Corbusier as one of the "starting points of modern architecture". Wright designs and builds a large restaurant with open roofs in Chicago in 1914. Le Corbusier owns a huge number of implemented projects - from landscaping the roofs of small villas to the whole city of Chandigarh in India, a grandiose ensemble of gardens on the roofs of administrative buildings.

In the 30s of the 20th century in London, the architect R. Hancock built a large complex on the roof of a six-story building - the Derry and Tomz garden. And to this day there is a historic Victorian garden on this roof, regular "Spanish" and landscape, more often called English.

On the other side of the Atlantic, in the United States, already at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the roofs of many New York hotels were used for one purpose or another. In the 40s, squares appeared on the roofs of underground garages in San Francisco, and ten years later a hanging garden the size of an entire square was laid out on the roof of an underground car park in the city of Portsmouth. "Linear" gardens and boulevards on artificial grounds, stretched along roads and highways and separating pedestrian and automobile traffic, have become a reality in many American cities.

In Russia, the use of flat roofs was theoretically substantiated much earlier, in the 1920s, by constructivist architects G. Barkhin, the Vesnin brothers, I. Leonidov and others. It was in those years that a lot of buildings were built, the roofs of which served as viewing platforms, were used as gardens for recreation, and even as children's play complexes that replaced kindergarten sections. But there were still huge areas of roofs of industrial, residential and public buildings, including underground structures. The Great Patriotic War interrupted the design of roof gardens for a long time. Only at the end of the 90s of the last century in Russia and Belarus were developed special recommendations for the design of roof gardens, and in 2001 in Moscow a "Manual for landscaping and landscaping operated roofs of residential and public buildings, underground and semi-underground garages, civil defense and other structures", developed by a team of designers of OJSC "Mosproekt" headed by V. L. Mashinsky (with the participation of the author of the article).

The universally recognized leadership in the creation of roof-gardens, and especially in the production of new building materials, according to experts, currently belongs to Germany. In this country, one of the prerequisites for the design of new buildings is green roofs, including those with a significant slope. Even taxes have been introduced for homeowners who do not use roofs for gardens.

In Swiss cities, up to 25% of flat roofs are occupied by lawns. In Japan, there is a requirement to lay out gardens on all flat roofs, the area of which exceeds 100 m 2.

THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING AS A COMPONENT PART OF ARCHITECTURE

The roof of a building is often referred to as the fifth façade. The silhouette of the building depends on its size and artistic appearance. At the same time, the roof is the upper enclosing structure of the building. It performs both a load-bearing and heat-insulating function, and its upper element - the roof - protects the building from rain, snow, wind, and changes in air temperature. The so-called "warm" roofs combine a protective function with insulation, while "cold" ones do not need thermal insulation. But both of them must necessarily have a slope for the removal of precipitation. Flat roofs are considered to be with a slight slope, but not less than 2%. Pitched roofs covering attic floors or attics can have a slope of 20% or more.

It is clear that the possibility of its operation depends on the type and slope of the roof, the constructive solution of the roof. The bearing capacity of roofs, that is, the ability to withstand certain loads, is quite high in modern buildings: parking lots are often arranged on them, and even landing sites for helicopters on high-rise buildings. It is no less convenient to use roofs for sports facilities - swimming pools, solariums, playgrounds. At the same time, the roof of a modern high-rise building is oversaturated with communications: television antennas, skylights, superstructures over elevator shafts, ventilation hoods ... It is not so easy to find a place for a garden here. Therefore, it is important how it will be possible to combine the constructive solution and architecture of a building built for many years with such a plastic, constantly changing living material as plants. Until quite recently, this was the main obstacle to the creation of a garden, except for the inevitable, albeit relatively small in total cost, increase in the cost of construction. In addition, the social function of the garden, that is, its use for certain purposes, becomes important.

Thus, the main difficulty lies in the fact that it is necessary to simultaneously take into account the requirements of not only architects, economists and builders, but also the plants themselves, with their biology and development conditions.

Plants planted at high elevations behave differently under the influence of natural conditions than those growing at ground level. The microclimate in the roof gardens is approaching the mountain one: high solar radiation, wind, a solid foundation for a forcedly thin soil layer, sharper temperature fluctuations, like in the mountains. Relative humidity at the roof surface is usually 5-10% lower than on the ground, and even lower in summer - up to 20%. The soil dries up, and this is facilitated by the wind, the speed of which increases several times at altitude. you have to take care not only about watering the plants, but also about removing excess moisture.

The problem is solved by a well-thought-out drainage system. Screens, lattices and high parapets help protect plants from mechanical damage and hypothermia under the influence of the wind.

Particular attention is paid to the composition and quality of the soil. In modern conditions, lightweight nutrient mixtures - substrates are used.

The growth of plants on the roof begins in spring 3-12 days earlier than on the ground, as well as flowering, the appearance of fruits and autumn foliage. This is taken into account when drawing up decorative combinations of plants. But much more important is the ecological criterion: the compatibility of different types of trees and shrubs. When choosing plants for a roof garden, preference is given to unpretentious and hardy ones, including those characteristic of mountain flora. Mostly these are creeping or dwarf forms of trees and shrubs, herbaceous and especially ground cover plants and lianas.

MODERN SOLUTIONS

When designing a rooftop garden, certain traditions and lifestyles of the people who will use it are taken into account. An illustrative example is a monolithic tower house built in Tashkent after the devastating earthquake of 1966. Instead of the usual one-two-story houses with cozy courtyards where the whole life of the family passed, people had to get used to a completely different way of life in an apartment high-rise building. In order to largely compensate for the separation from the habitual environment for the residents, every three floors of the building, courtyards were arranged, onto which balconies opened, and concrete containers with plants were placed at the ends of the sites. The flat roof of the building was taken under the garden with a vast pool surrounded by shady canopies with circular benches.

Most recently, at the end of September 2003, a large architectural complex was opened in Moscow - the Moscow International House of Music. The foyer, which houses a small winter garden, continues under the open sky; from the roof of the building, a beautiful view of the Moskva River and adjacent architectural ensembles opens up. In summer, through the glazing, the winter garden seems to be part of an open-air garden, if it were not for the differences in the assortment of plants. While greenhouse and exotic plants grow in the indoor garden, open ground plants are placed on the roof: western thuja, several types of juniper, large-sized trees (linden and mountain ash), ornamental shrubs (barberries and spireas). Together with perennials, among which ground cover and creeping forms predominate, and the lawn, they form five green "islands" among the paving. As the author of the garden project, landscape architect E. Yu. Zvyagintseva, notes, the garden performs more aesthetic than ecological function.

The use of the most modern insulating materials, drainage devices, watering and lighting systems for plants allows us to consider this object one of the most promising and successful solutions for new roof gardens for Moscow.

For more than five years, trees have been growing on the roof of the RAO Gazprom garage on Nametkina Street. The boulevard on the roof of the underground structure ends with a children's playground.

Since 1999, the roof of the greenhouse complex of the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University has been used to test different types of ground cover plants of natural flora, mainly stonecrops, which turned into a dense multi-colored carpet already in the first years of the experiment.

No less promising project started even earlier, in 1993, in St. Petersburg. Vegetables, flowers and seedlings of fruit crops were planted on the roofs of one of the design institutes and a nine-story typical residential building. The same assortment of plants was grown on the land near the walls of the building. Comparison of the content of nitrates and heavy metals in plants grown in open ground and on the roofs of buildings, where the main pollutants of urban air - vehicle exhaust do not fall, showed a clear advantage of the new technology. The very next year, a program was developed, called the "Ecological model of a residential building" ("Ecohouse"). Now this program develops into the program of ecological improvement of the city.

In terms of the scale and level of landscape design, domestic roof gardens still lag far behind foreign ones, although new interesting projects have appeared in recent years. Among them is "Tsarev's Garden" - this is the name of the garden on the roofs of the fourth and fifth floors of a large complex on the Sofiyskaya embankment of the Moskva River, the construction of which has already begun. The authors of the project are architects N. Meshcheryakova and V. Nikolsky, designers T. Bakhareva and L. Dormasheva. Placed opposite the Kremlin, this garden will become a kind of reminder of the historical "riding" gardens of the Kremlin and the famous sovereign gardens that once occupied the entire territory of Zamoskvorechye.

The composition of "Tsar's Garden" is based on a small promenade boulevard with decorative designs in imitation of the Dutch baroque style, beloved in Russia in the 18th century. In the southern part there will be a "blue garden" with a pool of three cascades, lined with blue tiles, and a curtain of frost-resistant fruit trees. The central part will be occupied by a rose garden. In the northern part - the "golden garden" - it is planned to install a sundial surrounded by flowers of yellow-orange hues, and a pond with a symbolic sculpture "The Royal Throne".

The well-known expression "the future is born today" is directly related to the problem of a garden on an artificial basis, which is already becoming more widespread in the world today and certainly has a wonderful future.

It is almost impossible to create a winter-type garden on the roof of a private house on your own - for this it is best to turn to specialists involved in landscape design. This is primarily due to the fact that the manufacture of such a garden can have a very negative impact on the condition of the roof.

In this article

Benefits of gardening

There are a lot of positive aspects regarding the arrangement of a roof garden:

First of all, the additional presence of green spaces both within the city and in the countryside allows for a significant improvement in the environmental situation. When making a winter garden on the roof of a private house in the city, it is possible to achieve good air purification and prevent the occurrence of a greenhouse effect;
winter gardens, located on the roof of the house, contribute to a significant increase in the thermal and sound insulation characteristics of the building. The roof garden manages to bring warmer air into the house during the winter and coolness during the hot summer months;
Rooftop gardens allow you to extend the life of your roof covering by several years. This is done largely by preventing the penetration of moisture to the surface of the roof, in addition, the garden protects it from other adverse weather conditions. If you properly care for such a garden, then the roofing can last about 30 years, or even longer;
Rooftop gardens can not only significantly save existing space, but also compensate for various types of development. A garden located on the roof will take up about as much free space as the house itself;
if the winter garden on the roof of the house is located in a relatively large city, then you can be almost completely sure that the storm sewer works very badly. This allows you to neutralize the effects of heavy rains, because such a garden will retain a significant amount of water. Largely due to this design, it is possible to prevent flooding;
Arrangement of a winter garden on the roof of the house allows you to provide a very attractive recreation area. If desired, you can install garden furniture there, have picnics, read books and so on;
a home with a rooftop garden looks very attractive no matter where it is located. Here you can provide a very comfortable pastime.

Varieties of gardens on the roof surface

There are several ways to plant gardens on the roofs of buildings:

extensive;
intense.

The first variety helps to ensure the arrangement of the garden on a fairly light soil, the thickness of which will not exceed 15 cm. This technology allows you to reliably protect the roof surface from the effects of negative weather factors, and besides, it can be used to organize an autonomous ecosystem.

Experts in this field advise using only plants for these purposes that do not require special care and frequent moisture. Usually in a garden designed according to this type, there is a continuous cover, consisting exclusively of evergreen plants.

In gardens of this type, the use of various kinds of recreation areas is not expected. As a rule, an extensive type of roof gardening is not used very often, because it fits best into the interior of summer cottages or garden plots, close to houses, gazebos, garages or other outbuildings.

The extensive method is quite simple and unpretentious in terms of installation due to the fact that the plants, together with the soil, weigh more than 20 kilograms per square meter. Therefore, to install such a garden, you do not have to additionally fix the soil.

Another distinctive quality of using extensive garden fabrication is that they are placed exclusively on a flat roof. Such gardens do not cost too much, so almost everyone can afford them.

The arrangement of a winter garden using intensive technology implies the creation of a full-fledged garden, where a real recreation area is provided, all kinds of walking paths, a fountain, gazebos, and so on. It is not possible to build this structure on a standard building roof, as it needs additional reinforcement. Such a garden requires the provision of a foundation that is able to support a soil thickness of approximately 15–20 cm. Such a recreation area is recommended to be installed on the roofs of multi-storey buildings such as hotels, shops and so on.

How to secure a rooftop garden?

In order for the winter garden to serve as long as possible, it should be installed on the most gently sloping roof, in which the largest slope will be about thirty degrees. Otherwise, the soil, and the plants themselves, under the influence of rains and other adverse atmospheric phenomena, will begin to settle.

Another important point is the strength of the roofing - so that the garden does not fall under it over time. Therefore, the roof must withstand not only a layer of soil of the appropriate thickness, but also the weight of plants, trees, and so on. To make the load as small as possible, it is advisable to use special lightweight drainage systems.

In addition, it is very important to take into account that in winter, one way or another, snow cover will linger on the roof surface, due to which the load can increase to about 600 kg per square meter. Professional designers recommend calculating the load in such a way that the greatest weight falls on the load-bearing walls.

The vertical structures of the winter garden also need to be further strengthened, as they can quickly become unusable under the influence of strong winds. For the sake of safety, the roof around the perimeter should be surrounded by a fairly high parapet. It would be useful to take care of making a fairly convenient entrance to the winter garden itself.

By itself, such a garden is very convenient and original, however, regarding its competent arrangement, you will have to seriously break your head. So that this design serves as long as possible and does not require additional care.

Today, any roof can be planted with greenery, as they say, there would be a desire. But it is flat roofs that are of the greatest interest, with the ability to arrange an oasis of freshness and a paradise for relaxation, immersed in greenery. What is a roof garden and what is its peculiarity, we will consider below.

Regardless of the purpose of the building, a small garden can be set up on the roof of any building, whether it is a private cottage, a city apartment with access to the roof, a cafe, a restaurant or an office building. The main condition is the presence of a strong foundation and the correct installation of a special roof.

It can be said that city dwellers are even more in need of such green spaces than the inhabitants of country houses. In a densely populated metropolis, there is less and less space for natural plantings and parks, and everyone wants to breathe clean air! An example for us can be Germany - a country where rooftop greening is most common. Currently, a roof garden is included in the design of almost every new building here. But this is not only a good type of roof, but also a part of the ecosystem transferred to the heavenly sky.

Roof greening: the benefits

It will take a long time to talk about the benefits of roof gardens, since the benefits of such gardening at home are many.

The arrangement of this type of roof increases the usable area of the building, because after the installation of a specially designed roof and landscaping of the area, we get the opportunity to equip a place for a comfortable and pleasant stay here.
Such roofs reduce air pollution and increase the amount of oxygen. And greenery is able to hold about a quarter of the dust and harmful substances contained in the air.
Due to the thermal insulation properties of the special roof and soil, the heating of the roof in the summer is reduced, and hence the building as a whole, and in winter, on the contrary, heat is accumulated inside the building and does not go outside. Thus, a significant saving of resources is achieved - the cost of heating and air conditioning of premises is reduced. Within the framework of the whole city, a large concentration of green spaces on the roofs of buildings is even able to reduce the temperature in the summer heat.
The "Green Roof" not only has thermal insulation properties, but also reduces the noise level, which, as a rule, is quite noticeable in the city.
In addition, it absorbs part of the precipitation, preventing them from falling to the ground and mixing with sewage.
A roof garden extends the life of the roof as it protects against the adverse effects of the weather. It is not exposed to heat, frost, rain and snow, and therefore lasts longer.
And, in the end, green roofs always ennoble the building, being its real decoration.

Types of roof gardens

Roofs can be partially or completely planted with greenery, so they are divided into two types of greenery: extensive and intensive.

Extensive landscaping of the roofs of buildings is characterized by the use of light soil with a thickness of only 5-15 cm. Unpretentious plants grow on such soil, which require care only for the first time after planting, then care for them, including watering, is minimized. This method of landscaping is most often a carpet of evergreens, which is used on the roofs of non-residential buildings, garages, industrial warehouses, etc. Moreover, it can be organized both on flat and pitched roofs (fortunately, the weight of the roof does not exceed 15 kg per 1 sq. M), and additional strengthening of the foundation of the building is not required.

Intensive gardening involves the cultivation of any plants that grow on the ground, including trees. Imagine how strong the roof with the foundation of the building must be to withstand the weight of full-fledged trees, as well as a layer of soil up to 80 cm, drainage and sometimes even reservoirs. The load on the building in this case will be considerable, sometimes reaching 800-900kg per 1 sq.m.

How rooftop gardens work

To set up a garden on the roof of the house, the so-called inversion roof is used, which looks like a layer cake. Let's see what structure it has.

First, let's look at the foundation. Increased requirements are imposed on the floor: it is better if it is reinforced concrete slabs that can withstand heavy loads. Also, the possibility of building a garden on the roof, made according to the method of monolithic casting, is not excluded.

Regardless of whether you will pour a cement-sand screed on the floor slabs or not, they must be protected from moisture penetration. And what better way to save from the ubiquitous moisture, if not a full-fledged waterproofing?

The most commonly used waterproofing material is bituminous-polymer roll materials, the lower layer of which is mechanically attached to the base, and the upper layer is welded.

A heat-insulating layer is laid on top of it, in simple words, this is a heater. Most often, these are extruded polystyrene foam boards, which are stacked tightly to each other, but are not fixed by anything (otherwise there is a chance to damage the waterproofing), in extreme cases, expanded polystyrene boards can be connected with glue, but this is not particularly necessary.

Next comes the drainage, which is "hidden" between two layers of material called geotextile - this is a rolled material that is laid in one layer, without folds, and the strips are overlapped one on top of the other. A layer of pebbles or gravel with a fraction of 15-30 mm and a thickness of 50 mm is used as a drainage.

On top of this cake, you can pour soil and plant plants, trees. Among the trees, coniferous and undersized fruit and are popular. As in a regular garden, here you can, flower beds, make living borders or small hedges for them, which we have already talked about, as well as create paths and even build a small pond. If you do not know which plants to choose, read our article about, there you can find ideas suitable for you.