As a group committed to innovative and sustainable projects, Sorigué, through its company Ambitec, focuses on designing and installing urban green roofs as part of its proposed nature-based solutions (NbS). Green roofs provide a host of environmental and financial benefits: they lower the heat island effect, provide cleaner air, filter out toxic elements in the atmosphere, retain more rainwater, make buildings more energy efficient, increase the durability of the roof’s membrane and act as a noise insulator. 
 
Added to a building rooftop or a home roof, this solution can be used to grow plants on a safe and stable surface. During installation, a waterproofing process is used to divert excess rain to a drainage system, along with a root barrier, protecting the roof base and acting as a thermal and noise insulator. The water retaining sheet, drainage boards and filter cloth form the final components of the system, after which a growing medium and the types of plants selected are added. 
 
Sorigué selects native species and varieties with staggered blooming periods for its roofs, encouraging pollinators and increasing the biodiversity of the area. 

 

With growing mediums between 13 and 25 cm deep, plants are selected according to the roof’s exposure, and can be made to suit windy, sunny and saline conditions, along with many more. These plant roofs do not require complicated maintenance thanks to automated irrigation systems. Monitoring the roof’s condition ensures its durability. 
 
Energy savings
 
Plus, green roofs are amazing insulators. The plants and growing medium help buildings with these systems to save energy, resulting in lower overall energy use in terms of heating and cooling. The environmental benefits are also substantial. Experiences across a number of countries suggest that green roofs help mitigate greenhouse gases and trap pollutants which, otherwise, would remain in the air.  
 
Some green roofs installed by Sorigué are located at the group’s Badalona Technology and Services workplace, a residential building in Barcelona on Carrer de Ràfols, a building in Sant Cugat del Vallés, and the Barcelona corporate office building Ciutat de L’Aigua, along with many more.