Rooftop Planters: Load Requirements, Drainage, and Wind Resistance Explained
Rooftops are one of the most frequented areas of commercial buildings, especially if the property has a rooftop pool, bar, restaurant, or lounge area for guests, customers, or residents. Relaxing on a rooftop surrounded by friends and family is sure to make lifelong memories as people gather on your rooftop.
Transforming rooftops into an oasis where guests and customers can unwind, relax, and enjoy being in the presence of great company is paramount to their comfort and makes for a great experience. Designing your rooftop to create an ideal ambiance is crucial to your business thriving, and a great way to improve customer experience is to add rooftop planters.
If you’re considering adding rooftop planters to transform your space and aren’t sure where to begin, you’ve come to the right place. Continue reading as we discuss everything you need to know about rooftop planters, including load requirements, drainage, and wind resistance, to ensure you choose the best planters for your rooftop.
Why Add Rooftop Planters?
At PolyMade, we’re often asked why commercial property owners should add planters and how they can elevate their space. Simply put, commercial planters transform your rooftop terrace, add value to your company, are beneficial for your employees, add a cohesive element to your brand, and help with brand recognition. Rooftop planters also help define a space and create designated lounge and walking spaces that help direct the flow of your guests to easily navigate their way around your rooftop area.
Rooftop commercial planters act as a visual anchor to your commercial space, including complementing your color scheme, aesthetic, and much more. In addition to adding elegance and beauty to your rooftop, adding custom commercial planters helps drive guest engagement that, in return, helps promote your brand and aid in its recognition.
Adding planters to your rooftop does more than enhance the beauty of your commercial property’s rooftop, but it also reshapes and defines the space. Whether you have a rooftop bar or pool, adding custom rooftop planters helps enclose the space, offering guests more privacy and seclusion while directing them to certain areas and concealing other spots. Rooftop planters also increase the comfort of guests and reduce noise so they can enjoy their time and focus as they work, mingle, or lounge.
All About Rooftop Planters
Before you add rooftop planters to your rooftop bar, restaurant, pool, or terrace, there’s much to consider to ensure you’re making a wise investment that adds beauty and helps with brand recognition while also adhering to load requirements, offering excellent drainage, and protecting from severe weather. Below are some helpful tips for selecting the right rooftop planter:
Load Requirements
Before adding rooftop planters, you’ll want to carefully consider load requirements. You’ll need to determine how much dead load, live load, and environmental load your rooftop is capable of safely holding. If your commercial property’s roof was designed as just a roof, it might not be able to be turned into a rooftop bar or lounge area, depending on the load requirements. However, if it was built to be turned into a hospitality amenity, like a rooftop pool or restaurant/bar, it can likely support the weight of furniture, planters, and other accessories.For rooftop pools or restaurants/bars, you’ll want to add lightweight planters that don’t bear too much weight. Traditional commercial planters made from concrete can weigh over 1,000 pounds, depending on their size and design. That kind of weight makes rearranging them around your property a costly hassle—often requiring special equipment or professional movers just to make a simple layout change, which is tricky on a rooftop. They also increase the load, perhaps putting you over the allowable pounds per square foot (PSF). Lightweight planters, like those from PolyMade, are designed to be added to rooftops, so you’ll never need to worry about an overbearing load with our planters.
Drainage
Something else to consider before adding commercial planters to your rooftop is the planter’s drainage system to ensure the rooftop is protected. A planter with poor drainage can significantly increase the roof loading, putting your space at risk of developing maintenance issues.
A planter with good drainage lowers the saturated dead load while decreasing standing water concentration, important for protecting your guests from mosquitoes and other insects that are attracted to standing water. Planters that have poor drainage can also stain your rooftop if algae forms and creates unsightly streaks, not to mention put your guests at risk of slips and falls due to standing water.
Wind Resistance
Anything left on a rooftop is exposed to severe weather, regardless of the state or region. From thunderstorms to snow and strong wind gusts, rooftop furniture and planters are at risk of getting damaged as they’re exposed to the elements. Traditional commercial planters crack under pressure, often crumbling as they’re exposed to fluctuating temperatures, freeze-thaw cycles, overloading, poor manufacturing, and strong winds.
Consider wind resistance before adding rooftop commercial planters, ensuring they’re built to withstand strong wind gusts. PolyMade’s rooftop planters are weatherproof, ensuring they withstand high wind speeds thanks to a tough outer shell that withstands harsh weather.
The PolyMade Difference
When you build custom rooftop commercial planters with PolyMade, there’s no limit to your custom design. Nothing is off limits when you build a custom commercial planter with PolyMade. Our team offers exceptional customer service and creates a commercial planter tailored to your specific needs. PolyMade’s customized planters are unique thanks to our flexible and lightweight material, offering many advantages. Our planters are made with a three-layer construction:
High-Density Polystyrene for lightweight insulation
Polyurea coating is a durable coating that offers flexible strength
Dryvit™ Stucco Finish for the outer layer that offers a premium, customizable look
We understand how important your brand and image are to your business, and our team is here to assist and bring your vision to life. Our custom planters are sourced and handmade in the U.S.A. by our expert team members. Our quality and customization options are unmatched, and our planters offer exceptional quality and durability. We’re guaranteed to exceed your highest expectations. Each custom rooftop commercial planter is proudly handmade in the U.S.A., lightweight, durable, and weatherproof, offers full customization, and we provide unrivaled customer service and installation support.
Let’s Design Your Custom Rooftop Commercial Planter
PolyMade planters maintain their integrity and appearance through extreme weather conditions and temperature changes, delivering both beauty and reliability year after year. From initial concept through final installation, our experienced support team provides hands-on guidance at every stage. Our streamlined process makes customization effortless: we collaborate with you to define dimensions, refine specifications, select finishes, and finalize design details.
Connect with our team to learn how PolyMade’s custom commercial planter boxes can enhance your rooftop, simplify installation, and create an environment where plants—and properties—thrive.
