Extensive green roof, private villa – Băile Tușnad

3 min read

The extensive green roof of this private villa in Băile Tușnad is not the kind of project that is immediately “seen” as a spectacular technical achievement. And that is exactly where its charm lies.

The owners’ idea was clear from the beginning: the building should not stand out or seem forced into a mountain landscape that already has plenty of personality. The roof had to somehow blend into the surrounding green, serving as a natural continuation of the slope and the forest behind it.

The flat area of the green roof functions as a calm, almost discreet layer over the building. The chosen extensive vegetation does not demand attention, does not need daily care, yet it gets the job done: it protects the waterproofing, keeps the summer heat away, and helps provide noticeably better thermal comfort inside during winter. The owners felt the difference from the very first season.

The truly delicate part, however, was the sloped component, with an inclination of approximately 35 degrees. Here, things are no longer simple. Layers that stay quietly in place on a flat roof tend to “slide downhill” on a slope if they are not correctly designed and secured. Stabilizing the substrate, the drainage, and the vegetation required special solutions, patience, and a lot of attention to detail. Each layer had to know exactly what its role was and how it supported the one beneath it.

The final result, however, is worth all the effort. The roof not only looks natural but also ages beautifully, changing its shades from one season to another and offering the building a rare balance between the technical and the natural.