Smart Roofs

What does your roof do other than protect you from the elements? That's a pretty important job, granted... but architects and designers are considering how to put building roofs to work in other ways, such as:

• "Green roofs" for planting gardens in congested areas and creating more aesthetically pleasing city skylines


• "White roofs" made from titanium shingles that can lower air conditioning costs by up to 40%


• Solar roofs that hold solar power cells and solar water heaters

Blogs such as Groundless Sites and Inhabitat document these and other efforts.

Source: WorldChanging