American Hydrotech, the Chicago-based manufacturer of waterproofing and roofing products and a Sika subsidiary, announced on Tuesday that its Garden Roof Assemblies have successfully passed a series of tests to meet FM Approvals. 

FM Approvals is a third-party testing and certification service like Underwriters Laboratories. In a Feb. 13 news release, American Hydrotech said receiving FM certification for its Garden Roof Assembly system provides building owners, architects, and landscape designers confidence when specifying a garden roof.

A cross-sectional view of American Hydrotech's Garden Roof Assembly System.“Having the FM Approval for the Garden Roof Assembly provides many advantages to our clients,” said Hydrotech’s Garden Roof Department Manager, Tricia Billings. “Hydrotech is the only membrane manufacturer that can offer an FM Approval for a vegetated roof assembly, starting at the deck and up through the vegetation.”

The company said that as green spaces on commercial and industrial roofs steadily gain popularity within urban areas, FM approval offers the assurance that its roofing systems will maintain integrity, which may help create more green space in vertical environs. 

The company added that green roofs provide many benefits, from aesthetics to food growing to restoring the balance with nature, noting that garden roofs are net positive regarding environmental impact, offer better management of stormwater run-off, and reduce the urban heat island effect.

For more information, visit hydrotechusa.com.