| Summary: | Landscape architectural research of green infrastructural practices has increased dramatically over the last decade. Due to this research, many designers are suggesting some form of green infrastructure within their projects. Much of the present-day research focuses on function and not long term impacts of individual materials. The current rate of implementation of green infrastructures might not produce a drastic impact upon the environment, but with installations being realized at an ever-increasing and larger scales, even minute elements within the construction of these structures begin to influence the overall ecological footprint produced by our designs. Designers must re-evaluate the materiality of construction and select components based on a series of conditions including the life-cycle assessment associated with specifying individual products. This paper examines the current ecological footprint of one standard green infrastructure, a green roof, and investigates what substitutions might be made to lessen the environmental impacts, over time, of green roof components.
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