Appropriate design elements and soil selection for green roofs in North Central Texas

This paper presents hydrologic data collected over a six month period from four different green (living) roof test module treatments. These data are part of a larger study on applying biomimicry design principles to advance the implementation of successful living roofs in North Central Texas. The native soil of the Walnut and Goodland geologic formations, specifically the soil of these formations' barrens communities is analyzed as part of the biomimicry design process. Basic soil characteristics are described along with a simple analysis of saturated weights for native soil and a commercial green roof medium. The percent rainfall retention capacity of native soil systems are compared to a commercial soil benchmark. This dataset is put into the context of historical rainfall exceedence frequencies. Native barrens communities are viable models for green roofs in North Texas; they outperformed the commercial medium tested in rainwater retention at the cost of slightly greater weight.