Mandates / Standards > Planted Roof - GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool

Relevant Mandates and Rating Systems

Mandates / Standards	Rating Systems

Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings

“Employ strategies that reduce stormwater runoff and discharges of polluted water offsite, to protect the natural hydrology and watershed health"
The principles encourage the use of life-cycle cost-effective renewable electric energy projects, potentially including the installation of rooftop solar panels.

Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings

Relation to Planted Roof: guiding principles

P100 Facilities Standards

The GSA P100 Facilities standards establishes various requirements for several tiers of high performance federal buildings, with more stringent requirements getting awarded higher . The requirements for tier improvements include requirements for waterproofing, roof replacement, vegetative systems, roof drainage systems, roof service life, among others. Learn more at GSA's P100 page opens in new window .

Relation to Planted Roof: waterproofing, roof replacement, vegetative systems, roof drainage systems

Presidential Memorandum - Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators

The President issued a memorandum directing U.S. government agencies to take additional steps to protect and restore domestic populations of pollinators, including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies. Planted roofs with flowering plants can provide habitats and food supplies for pollinators. Learn more at the White House Press Office.

Relation to Planted Roof: vegetation

Energy Independence and Security Act (2007)

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) requires projects involving any Federal facilities with a footprint that exceeds 5,000 square feet to maintain or restore, to the maximum extent technically feasible, the predevelopment hydrology of the property with regard to the temperature, rate, volume, and duration of flow (EISA Section 438). Stormwater management provided by a planted roof can help federal agencies meet this requirement. For more information, see EISA 2007 at GPO.gov opens in new window and EPA's Technical Guidance for meeting EISA Section 438 stormwater runoff requirements.

Relation to Planted Roof: stormwater management

Environmental Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005)

The Environmental Policy Act of 2005 offers tax incentives for many energy and sustainability improvements that planted roofs can provide. A tax incentive of up to $1.80 per square foot of buildings that demonstrate certain energy efficiency requirements can be given. More information is available from the Department of Energy opens in new window .

Relation to Planted Roof: tax incentive, energy efficiency

Other Guidelines

Many institutions outside of the federal government are creating guidelines and standards for planted roofs. ASTM International has developed standard guidance for planted roofs (E2777-14 non government site opens in new window ), as well as standards for vegetation (E2400-06) and the calculation of the dead (E2399-11) and live loads of a planted roof (E2397-11). The American National Standards Institute has issued standards regarding how to take wind into account when building a planted roof (RP-14 non government site opens in new window ) and how to prevent fires (VF-1).

Relation to Planted Roof: standards

LEED O+M: Existing Buildings (v4)

LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M) for Existing Buildings addresses many of the benefits that planted roofs provide. Planted roofs have a positive impact on energy use, IEQ, and can help mitigate the urban heat island effect. Because of this, fitting an existing building with a planted roof can help the building earn credits from many of the different LEED credit categories.

Relation to Planted Roof

Credit ID	Credit Name
SSc1	Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat
SSc2	Rainwater Management
SSc3	Heat Island Reduction
EQc1	Indoor Air Quality Management Program
EQc5	Daylight and Quality Views

https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-v4-building-operations-and-maintenance-current-version opens in new window

LEED BD+C: New Construction (v4)

While there is no unique credit that specifically addresses the construction of planted roofs, LEED for Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C) addresses a variety of different benefits that planted roofs provide. Depending on how a planted roof is constructed, it can earn a varying number of credits in almost every category. Cool roofs can also help with LEED BD+C certification because of their heat island reduction effect. Building a planted roof that will have the biggest improvement to water management, energy use, and IEQ will net the highest benefits for LEED BD+C.

Note: LEED for Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C) does not generally apply to the building exterior.

Relation to Planted Roof

Credit ID	Credit Name
SSc2	Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat
SSc3	Open Space
SSc4	Rainwater Management
SSc5	Heat Island Reduction
MRc1	Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction
EQc3	Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan
EQc8	Quality Views
EQc9	Acoustic Performance

https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-v4-building-design-and-construction-current-version opens in new window

Green Globes New Construction (NC)

Green Globes for NC emphasizes the benefits of a planted roof on other systems within the building. While it only mentions planted roofs directly once, planted roofs can have a host of different beneficial effects on aspects of the building design. Questions are asked of stormwater management and the area on the site that is covered in vegetation.

Example Survey Questions

Questions
What percentage by area of the roof is vegetated, and/or has a high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) as prescribed based on the slope of the roof?
Building materials made of organic material or those that could absorb moisture are protected in transit and at the construction site from contact with moisture and from collecting organic matter such as leaves, growing medium, or insects?
Is there a Stormwater Management Report by a Civil Engineer that shows that: The project meets municipal and/or local watershed flood and erosion control targets (i.e. post to pre control)? The project meets municipal and/or local watershed water quality control targets (80% TSS removal)? The site will retain at least 50% of the total average annual rainfall volume as per a Site Water Balance Assessment, to be included in the Stormwater Management Report?
What percentage of the roof consists of skylights?
Minimum of 50% of vegetative are covered with plants (new or salvaged plantings) that are native and non-invasive?

https://www.thegbi.org/green-globes-certification/how-to-certify/new-construction/ opens in new window

Green Globes for Existing Buildings

Green Globes for Existing Buildings asks project managers primarily about the rooftop design in general. Building a planted roof can ensure that many of these questions are taken into account during building. Special emphasis is placed on insulation and stormwater management of rooftop surfaces.

Example Survey Questions

Questions
Has the building envelope been air-sealed in the top part of the building?
Does the insulation of the roof comply with the recommendation of the building condition expert?
Are there indications that the site has been enhanced, such as an increase of indigenous species, the re-establishment of vegetation corridors or the implementation of erosion-control measures?
Are roof drains connected to sanitary or combined sewers?
Are storm management measures implemented to reduce water run-off from roofs and hard surfaces, such as parking areas?

https://www.thegbi.org/green-globes-certification/how-to-certify/existing-buildings/ opens in new window

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES)

SITES is an interdisciplinary partnership to transform land development and management practices through voluntary guidelines and rating system for sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings. A planted roof can earn credits for several categories, including stormwater management and the inclusion of native vegetation.

Relation to Planted Roof

Credit ID	Credit Name
P3.1	Manage precipitation on site
C3.5	Design functional stormwater features as amenities
P4.3	Use appropriate plants
C4.6	Conserve and use native plants
C4.8	Optimize biomass
C4.9	Reduce urban heat island effects
C4.10	Use vegetation to minimize building energy use
C6.7	Provide on-site food production

http://www.sustainablesites.org/ opens in new window