Product Summary

GaiaSoil is a patented ultra-lightweight green roof medium that provides unparalleled ecological function at a tiny fraction of the weight of competitor’s green roof media. Nothing else compares.

GaiaSoil Specifications Up Front:

• Dry Weight: 10-12 lbs./cubic foot

• Fully Saturated Weight: 28-34 lbs./cubic foot

• Water Holding Capacity: 33% (or 2″ of water in 6″ of GaiaSoil)

• Soil Air Volume: 17% (this is important for robust growth!)

• Insulation: 1.8R/inch under field conditions

• Typical 6″ Green Roof Design Weight: 20 lbs./sq. ft., or 30 lbs./sq. ft. if floating over 2″ water

• Did we mention that GaiaSoil can float? Plants will never get waterlogged even under the heaviest rainstorms. This property makes our GaiaSoil Floating Wetlands possible, which can store over 2 feet of water under the soil column for maximum stormwater capture.

The design behind our products reflects Leaf Island’s philosophy: Applying the concepts of biophysics and plant biology to create the best possible green technology from an ecological perspective, while incorporating waste stream materials and insuring that it is scalable to the extent that it can change the environment in a meaningful way. In essence, we design green technology that is universal.

GaiaSoil is mostly composed of recycled Styrofoam, a pernicious waste stream material that we turn into something extraordinary. By purchasing a cubic yard of GaiaSoil, you directly remove 30 lbs of Styrofoam from the waste stream – the equivalent of recycling 9,000 Styrofoam cups!

Styrofoam allows GaiaSoil to be extremely lightweight while also providing the correct amount of aeration to accommodate dense vegetation. We understand that the biggest obstacle for substantial plant growth is the lack of aeration in the soil column – something that GaiaSoil has overcome. In this regard, we internally refer to our GaiaSoil green roofs as “solid-state hydroponics”. GaiaSoil is highly resistant to compaction, making it the perfect media for green infrastructure projects that have heavy foot-traffic. You can rest assured that GaiaSoil will perform just as well 10 years down the line as it did upon install. The consistent 50% pore space ensures that air, water and nutrients are readily available at the root zone.

Another unique property of GaiaSoil is that it is less dense than water, so unlike other green roof media, it floats! When water input exceeds the pore space capacity of GaiaSoil, the water pools below the soil column and functions as a reservoir, allowing for either easy drainage, or long term usage by the plants, as well as making the soil immune to becoming waterlogged. We utilize this property in our Floating Wetland designs, allowing these above-grade retention swales to increase their stormwater uptake capacity greatly.

We invite you to see for yourselves. Our GaiaSoil green roofs at the 5-Borough Maintenance Facility at Randall’s Island are available for public viewing. Simply ask the wonderful staff at this NYC Parks & Recreation facility to give you a tour.

Our patented GaiaSoil product is available for consumer sale.  Scalability is critical to saving the environment – let GaiaSoil fuel your creative green infrastructure ambitions! Simply complete the form below and we will contact you for a quote.

Why GaiaSoil?

Insulation Capacity

The Styrofoam used in GaiaSoil creation has a lab-tested insulation factor. With an R-Value of 2.7/in for dry GaiaSoil and 1.2/inch for fully saturated GaiaSoil, Leaf Island produces the only green roof media on the market that insulates. We offer the option of installing additional Styrofoam block insulation below the waterproof polyurea membrane if the client desires a higher rooftop R-Value.

Adaptive ReUse

Styrofoam takes up 30% of landfill volume and doesn’t degrade. GaiaSoil is composed of 90% recycled styrofoam by volume. Leaf Island prides itself on turning waste stream products like Styrofoam, which pollutes our waterways and oceans, into something that can be used to great ecological benefit. Its unlikely that the world will ever stop producing Styrofoam in the foreseeable future, but you can rest assured that purchasing a GaiaSoil Ultra-Lightweight Green Roof System will remove thousands of cubic yards of Styrofoam from landfills.