Roof terraces and rooftop gardens raise the value of commercial buildings such as hotels, offices and retail stores. For this reason, architects and property developers all over the world are investing in these outdoor roof terraces to increase ROI on their projects.
If you are a landscape architect, the first challenge you may face is determining the best materials for your roof terrace. The materials you choose must be fire-tested, durable and weather-resistant, all whilst meeting a range of stringent building regulations.
What Materials Are Needed For A Rooftop Garden?
Before we can even begin to think of the final touches such as outdoor furniture, planters and plant beds, you need to think about the materials that will comprise your roof terrace’s decking.
Some of the key materials you’ll need for a rooftop garden include:
- Insulation
- Roof Membranes
- Adjustable Pedestals
- Decking & Pavers
Protecting Your Commercial Roof Terrace
These days, the best way to create a commercial roof terrace is by opting for the floating terrace solution. This type of system offers many advantages, including easier installation, being less disruptive to the building and allowing for the creation of a truly flat roof decking.
Floating terrace systems circumvent the issues faced by obstacles and levels in the structure of the building and also allow for drainage to be run over the weatherproof membrane beneath.
The weather-proof membrane sits directly over the insulation, allowing for your decking to be built up on top of the final membrane. The most common way to do this is through adjustable decking pedestal systems, which are designed to prevent damage to the lower waterproof layers they are on top of.
Supporting Your Commercial Roof Terrace With Adjustable Pedestals
Using decking pedestals to support your rooftop gardens and terraces is a tried and tested method, which makes specification and installation easier. These cleverly designed pedestals are easily adjusted to create a perfect level for your decking.
The cavity created between the subfloor and the decking also allows for services to run through, such as waste pipes and air conditioning.
Quality modern pedestals have been engineered to offer a whole range of benefits, which make creating commercial roof terraces much simpler. Features like built-in slope correction make creating a level floor easy and can even be used for the creation of ramps.
Make sure that your chosen pedestal system has been designed to combat the issues faced with wind uplift. Accessories such as the U-WASHER, provide protection against strong winds by physically locking your chosen paver to the head of the pedestal. In fact, the range of pedestal accessories available today covers everything from perimeter and edging solutions to spacer tabs.
These cleverly designed tabs clip onto the pedestal heads and allow for perfectly spaced tiles, removing the issue of human error and allowing for drainage and water runoff.
Choosing The Right Decking Material For Your Commercial Roof Terrace
To ensure your roof terrace meets current building regulations, such as fire safety and BROOF (T4), it is advised that you specify a complete build-up that has been third-party tested.
Whilst some of the products you research may be rated individually, they may not have been tested as a whole system, which could affect their final performance.
Businesses like Buzon have ensured that pedestals have been tested alongside roof membranes and a range of decking materials such as ZERODECK, Composite Decking and 20mm Porcelain in order to offer a range of BROOF(t4) solutions. By specifying a complete build-up which has been tested as a whole system, you avoid any compatibility issues when it comes to installation.
Composite and porcelain are two of the most common decking materials used today by architects, due to their durability and non-combustible characteristics.
Alongside their high-performance features, they are also specified due to their extensive range of customisability and aesthetics, including timber-like finishes.
The Best Decking Materials For Commercial Roof Terraces
To create stunning commercial roof terraces and roof gardens it is essential that you specify the correct materials that make up the subframe and decking or pavers. Fortunately, there are companies which thoroughly test their products as a complete build-up with third-party products to ensure full compatibility and top performance.
When looking to specify the best materials for your commercial roof terrace, ensure you partner with companies that offer quality-tested products, from membranes to pedestals, to decking.
If you’re looking to create commercial roof terraces in your next development, take a look at the Buzon range of adjustable pedestals.
Our ranges have been stringently tested to ensure quality performance and come with a range of features such as built-in slope correction, fire performance, paver and decking compatibility as well as being height adjustable to cope with voids from 11mm upwards.
If you’d like to discuss your requirements further, don’t hesitate to speak to an expert by calling us on +44 (0)20 8614 0874 or emailing info@buzonuk.com.
