By: Charlene Rennick
Green roofs are gaining new ground in higher places. In some areas, over 2 million square feet of gardens have been anchored onto the top of city buildings. Many of these living green roof tops can be found in Europe, Asia and Canada.
Green Roofs Save Money
Cultivating green, living plants on urban roof tops, lowers climate control costs by about ten percent. This dense, leafy insulator helps to control the temperature by absorbing some of the excess moisture in the air during the hottest part of the year and provides a buffer against the coldest extremes of temperature throughout the winter months.
Living roof tops are gaining momentum as a sustainable energy resource. Plants protect the exterior of the building from the wear and tear of wind-related erosion, beautify the inner-city landscape, act as a sound barrier and help to break up heat trapped in densely populated urban core areas. Living green rooftops lower the carbon footprint. The success of green technology rooftops has generated interest in developing living walls.
Living Walls: An Extension of Green Roofs
As opposed to the damage caused to the outer walls by ivy or vertical vines and creepers, green living walls do not adhere directly onto the exterior of the building. Living green walls are constructed in modules that are attached to the outside of the existing wall. This is similar to a trellis, except that they are often square and can be stacked upward in symmetrical columns supported by a mesh of sturdy wire. Living walls are rare in many countries. Concern has been presented that green walls may attract insects (bees) and birds. Plants used in the design of green living walls are deliberately selected from non-flowering and non-fruit-bearing varieties in order to avoid attracting insects with sweet pollens and bright colours. Careful pruning, removing dead leaves and discouraging thicker branch growth will create unfavourable conditions for nesting birds. While the inner city walls are better suited for hardy, vertical climbing plants, ferns, grasses, dracaena and other similar species, green roof tops can also be used to grow vegetables and herbs. Urban roof tops can produce healthy rosemary, parsley, sage, thyme, mint, lettuce, onions, radishes and chives. Sweet clover, impatiens, pansies, heather and lobelia varieties lend themselves well as an environmental insulator and flourish well throughout fluctuations in temperature.
Be a Leader: Go Green
Thinking of adding this to next month’s office agenda? These six helpful tips by Randy Sharp, an urban architect specializing in innovative green technology structures http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/CA6459410.html, can help you introduce the idea and answer any initial questions. Some great selling points to present are that rainwater can be collected and used in the green surface irrigation systems, reducing some of the maintenance costs. Adding green roofs or green walls to your building will earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points for your organization.