I have a longstanding interest in green roofing. Partly this is because of the time we went up to see what was happening on the roof of the Southbank Centre and an elf left over from a Christmas event regaled us with such tales of how there was a boat you could stay in that we ended up yeah, doing that, and visiting their roofgarden as often as possible, too. Partly it's becuase every year we get a wellbeing suvey asking what one thing would improve our qualty of life at work. And every year I think really hard, and reply "a roof garden". So when I read about Copenhagan's mandatory green roof policy I was excited. Especially the bit about retrofitting all historical roofs with a less than 30 degree pitch.
Turns out the source for this news story has long since deleted it, leaving nothing but a halo of excited blog-echoes lingering in the eco, urbanity and design blogs. The news source is quite interesting, though (and not just because it's running similar news stories this year about mandatory green roofs in Bogota, France, Prague, etc.)
a biosolar roof future for London
The website is from a company with its eyes set on approximately 10 Million m2 of existing roof space in London that could be greened. It has a vision. That vision is a biosolar roof future for London, every horizonal tarred felted sealed surface turned around, evolved, integrated and coopted to serve a future of reduced urban heat island effect, improved air quality and improved health and wellbeing. Each story about a prestige city mandating green roofs supports their pitch (pun intended); London should have more green roofs, commission them (from us) (especially the ones which are green roof/solar panel combos).
I don't disagree. In fact, I'd go further. Let's have a biosolar roof future for the nation. For the world. Let's identify those flat roofs and sort what we need to do to spread the green across them, make them safe and open them up to increase the urban garden availability to all. Let's shelter and ring these spaces with solar panels, trickling warmth and light over the plants in their impoverished environment, bitter with particulates and pollutants. Let's let them sponge up the rains, slow the run-off, shelter the butterflies and trickle green down the sides of the buildings. Let's remember that green roofs can grow on any pitch, including vertical, and stop wasting that space that could be flowers, could be butterflies (or hornets and ants, of course).
And above all, let's see how little we can do to achieve this. Wildflowers, sure, but what about Sow Thistles? Chickweed, Red Valerian, and Ragwort will all grow in a rime of grime or a layer of grit. How green could a roof get just from letting it be?
Turns out the source for this news story has long since deleted it, leaving nothing but a halo of excited blog-echoes lingering in the eco, urbanity and design blogs. The news source is quite interesting, though (and not just because it's running similar news stories this year about mandatory green roofs in Bogota, France, Prague, etc.)
a biosolar roof future for London
The website is from a company with its eyes set on approximately 10 Million m2 of existing roof space in London that could be greened. It has a vision. That vision is a biosolar roof future for London, every horizonal tarred felted sealed surface turned around, evolved, integrated and coopted to serve a future of reduced urban heat island effect, improved air quality and improved health and wellbeing. Each story about a prestige city mandating green roofs supports their pitch (pun intended); London should have more green roofs, commission them (from us) (especially the ones which are green roof/solar panel combos).
I don't disagree. In fact, I'd go further. Let's have a biosolar roof future for the nation. For the world. Let's identify those flat roofs and sort what we need to do to spread the green across them, make them safe and open them up to increase the urban garden availability to all. Let's shelter and ring these spaces with solar panels, trickling warmth and light over the plants in their impoverished environment, bitter with particulates and pollutants. Let's let them sponge up the rains, slow the run-off, shelter the butterflies and trickle green down the sides of the buildings. Let's remember that green roofs can grow on any pitch, including vertical, and stop wasting that space that could be flowers, could be butterflies (or hornets and ants, of course).
And above all, let's see how little we can do to achieve this. Wildflowers, sure, but what about Sow Thistles? Chickweed, Red Valerian, and Ragwort will all grow in a rime of grime or a layer of grit. How green could a roof get just from letting it be?
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