The Northern Forest in cities should not just be about trees. In fact #gladesinthesky should be an important part of the urban forest concept. In other words, the urban forest needs green roofs too. The Northern Forest – green roofs From Hull to Liverpool, the proposed Northern Forest has a many an urban centre. Whilst…
Do blue roofs or a green roofs store water and reduce run off? A few weeks ago we ran our #greenroofpoll No 3. The blue-green roof theme. The twitpoll aimed to establish a snapshot of people’s understanding of the concept of blue roofs. In fact, most voting in the poll – supported on twitter by CIRIA and…
Green roofs heed to offer high flower abundance from spring through to autumn. Whilst sedum species are the ‘work horse’ of green roofs, they do have a limited flowering period. There is a need, therefore, to increase the wildflower diversity on green roofs. This is one of the key findings of new research in Vienna…
Green performance may well not mean green roofs are green all the time. And the results of our second green roof poll suggest that most respondents understand this. There is a misconception sometimes that a green roof has to be green all the time. Most landscapes in Northern climes are not permanently green. So why…
Whilst there is welcome buzz about bees in the media, how much is there on green roofs? Is there a buzz about researching nature on green roofs? Or is it a mere whisper? New research such suggests the latter.
Do the public think green roofs are about nature or engineering? This question launched our first green roof poll of 2018. The clear answer is the public think green roofs are about nature. Of course a simple perceptual question doesn’t drill down to a granular level. It does, however, present give a taste, in the…
Do green roofs provide a solar boost? New research in Kansas certainly suggest they do. Whilst a boost to energy is important, the biosolar approach should also boost nature. New research in London does just that. Green roof solar boost research A solar panel is most efficient when the ambient temperature is around 25°C.…
Adventure 1 features Ted Labbe of Depave and his brother Jim, talking ripping up pavements and planting paradise. Depave.org started in Portland, Oregon. The podcast was recorded in Rimsky-Korsakoffee House back in October 2016. Although the focus is on the evolution and work of Depave, the conversation touches on many perceptive issues associated with cities.
The Virtual Summit being hosted by Greenroofs.com is running throughout April. Livingroofs.org has presented several talks over the years at the Virtual Summit and this year is no different. As there is a lot going on in London and the UK, Dusty Gedge’s talk is a ‘A View from London’.
In March 2017, the New French Biodiversity Law will come into effect. Within the law there is a requirement for solar or green roofs on commercial developments. What is this likely to mean – an increase in solar and green or just solar at the expense of green roofs designed for biodiversity?
Fresh air is important for all of us but when we think of clean air, we don’t think of cities. Most urban citizens, if they can, tend to flee the metropolis for the country to get a breath of it. But should this be the case? Especially when the majority of us live in cities….
Rooftop Revolution originally published in Dutch by Greater Venues and translated here into English. In the Netherlands there are 400 square kilometres of flat roof: some 60,000 football pitches of untapped territory. But if it is up to Rooftop Revolution , this territory will be the nature reserves of the future. There vision is where all roofs will be…
The small green roof guide, written by John Little and Dusty Gedge, started life in the grounds of an Essex property. In the first place the pair met there to commence writing the original pdf guide. Secondly, the grounds hold a plethora of green roofs. The first green roof dates back to mid 1990s and is…
The new Cambridge green roof policy will soon be delivering green roofs in both the city and the county. In the first place, an integrated water management approach will hopefully drive green roofs on new developments. Secondly the City has a great example that shines as beacon for the future of green roofs – the…