Biodiversity should not be viewed as a project afterthought but should be at the forefront of all city and project planning. Green roofs should be as biodiverse as possible given project constraints.

How much water can a green roof retain? The rate at which the roof regains retention capacity is determined by the combined processes of evaporation and transpiration – the evapotranspiration process. This is the driving factor that should be considered for green roof design.

The green infrastructure industry has an incredible responsibility to provide the best possible green solutions for the 66 percent of the world’s population that will live in urban areas by 2050. We can only get there through excellent research and rigorous science, as well as close collaborations with civil engineers.