Green Roof Design for Small Cabins...
Ahead of its Time!

The green roof design on the small cabins featured here is way ahead of its time -- in some cases, centuries ahead!   A sod or turf roof is a traditional Scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark overlaying wooden roof boards.     Dating back to before the Viking and Middle Ages, it was the most common type of roof on rural log houses and cabins in Scandinavia until the late 19th century.

The sod roofs on the cabins and cot-
tages pictured above,  at right,  and below  are  examples  of early Norwe-
gian  designs.      Green roof designs
such  as  these  can still be found in many parts of  Scandinavia  and  are currently  enjoying  a  resurgence  in popularity.

Visually appealing, sod or grass roofs are eco-friendly and offer a variety of benefits to the environment.   The living vegetation produces oxygen, con-
sumes  carbon  dioxide,  and  absorbs  rainwater.     An effective insulator, it also reduces heating and cooling costs.

Additionally,  the  weight of a sod roof provides a significant advantage for log cabins by compressing the logs to make the walls more draft-proof and, once again, effectively reducing heating and cooling costs.

The romantic grass-covered turf houses shown below are located in Ice-
land . . . . .

. . . . . . . as is the picturesque church in the pastoral scene that follows.

The  log cabins  pictured  at right and below   are   located  in  the  western United States and the State of Alaska. Cozy and comfortable,  they epitomize the  image  of  a perfect weekend get-
away!

Green roof design is ideally  suited  for the  charming cottage designs at right and below.    Commonly referred to as "Hobbit Style Architecture,"   the   de-
signs were inspired by the dwellings of J. R. R. Tolkien's  fictional  characters, called Hobbits, in three of his novels -- most notably, The Lord of the Rings.

The  enchanting  hobbit  style cottage pictured   below  is  located  in  Wales. Though of relatively recent origin,  tra-
ditional building methods and materials such  as birch bark were utilized in the construction of the roof.

With today's interest in green roof research and eco-friendly building, much   can  be  learned  from  the
grass-covered houses and  cabins
in  Scandinavia.    These dwellings
were created in an effort to live in complete harmony with nature, as opposed to conquering it  . . . . . .
long  before  the concept of green building became popular!

For  more  information  about the green roof design featured above, please let us know  and  we'll  be happy to provide it for you.

Also,  please check back often or subscribe to our RSS feed, as we frequently   add  new  images  of eco-friendly cabin designs to our
site.

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