Design/Specification: Green Roof Consultancy Ltd

Installer: The Blackdown Horticultural Consultants

Native Wildflowers: British Wildflowers

Native seeds: Emorsgate Ltd

Installed November 2009

High above the Victoria and Westminster Skyline, a green roof for 'bugs' was installed in November 2009. The two roofs on floor 9 and 10 of the home of the London Underground above St. James' Tube station the roof was specifically designed for rare invertebrates. Based on over 5 years research by Dr. G.Kadas, the green roof also includes two Pholtovoltaics Panels (PVs). The project was funded by money from SITA NATURE ENHANCED funds and Transport of London, the roof was project managed by Buglife - The Invertebrate Charity and designed by the Green Roof Consultancy . Blackdown, one of the first home grown green roof companies in the UK installed the green roof in November 2009.

The roof build up consists of two different substrates at two different depths. In addition small mounds of coarse sand have been added in place to provide potential nesting for sand bees. Planted with a variety of native wildflowers, sedums and bulbs the roof was also seeded with the special London Livingroofs mix and a selection of native annuals.

This roof is a classic example of 'patience' is best. Initially the vegetation coudl hardly be seen but gradually through the spring and summer the bulbs, wildflowers and sedums spread and bloomed providing colour right through to November, exactly ayear after the roof had been installed.

The roof is being monitored for rare invertebrates for three years and should provide more information on what invertebrates colonise these types of roofs.