For over 20 years, Vegetal i.D. has been a pioneer in the production and design of green roof systems. Innovation is at the heart of the development strategy for the company. The R&D department at Vegetal I.D. is consistently developing new technical solutions to meet the growing expectations of its stakeholders: Innovative vegetated solutions that solve the growing issues of urban development.
Innovative Technical Solutions
In 2005, Vegetal i.D. invented the first green paver: the Hydropack all-in-one tray. Vegetal i.D. also holds several patents pertaining to the green paver Hydropack®, the steep slope green roof solution Acropack®, and the stormwater management solution Hydroactive Smart Roof.
Research Programs
The research programs of the R&D department at Vegetal i.D. revolve around three main themes: water management, irrigation, and plant diversification.
- Water Management
- Irrigation and Vegetation
- Plant Diversification
Since 2009, three research programs have been launched for stormwater management on the roof :
1. Modeling the behavior of water in vegetated systems and worked with two partners : CETE lle-de France (a branch of the French government dedicated to R&D in sustainability) and INSA Lyon (a top French University for science and technology).
2. Monthly water balances of various green roofing systems (water retention, runoff coefficient, waterproofing coefficient).
3. Development of an innovative solution for the control of stormwater management on the roof.
As component of an "Innovative Greening" program for the city of Paris, Vegetal i.D. was selected to analyze the impact of a green roof solution on stormwater management and the urban heat island effect. A similar project to assess impact on stormwater management and urban heat island reduction of Hydropack, and two versions of Hydroactive Smart Roof is being undertaken in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States as partnership with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, The Milwaukee Water Council, and the Fund for Lake Michigan.
The R&D engineers at Vegetal i.D. are working on new sustainable and efficient irrigation solutions for flat green roofs, steep green roofs (up to 200%), and living walls.
Horticulture engineers at Vegetal i.D. perform experiments to develop innovative and sustainable plant mixes for roofs and living walls. The main lines of research are:
- Search for new plant mixes for living walls and the development of plants with behavior engineered for vertical planting systems.
- Plant diversification in order to create a richer and more efficient range of plants (water and maintenance) and to promote plant and animal diversity in urban environments
As a component of the "Innovative Greenings" project in Paris, France Vegetal i.D was asked to test a solution for thin vegetation systems that would help to vegetate tramway systems using diverse plant species grown in mat systems for sustainable and ecological management.
The Innovation Competition
Vegetal i.D. participates in numerous national and international innovation competitions. In 2005 Vegetal i.D. won a gold medal for innovation at BATIMAT, a trade show dedicated to innovations in construction and architecture for Hydropack.
