How big is the UK green roof market? We are finding out

How big is the UK green roof market? To find out, Livingroofs.org has just launched the national UK Green Roof Market Survey 2016.

In association with GRO the Green Roof Organisation and Chaucer Landscape Management, Livingroofs.org is assessing the size and value of the UK green roof market, including barriers and drivers to uptake.

The survey seeks input from property owners, developers, investors, facilities managers, planners, contractors, architects and landscape architects, structural and service engineers and others. The survey is fully confidential and takes less than 3 minutes to complete.

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75% of the UK population lives in cities. Urban climate change impacts such as storms and flash flooding, urban heat island, air pollution and lack of biodiversity are now regular challenges. Manchester University found we can adapt cities by increasing urban green space by only 10%. But new green space is hard to find at ground level.

Green roofs, along with green walls, rain gardens and other Green Infrastructure systems, are an obvious solution. But this requires considerable investment in urban retrofit, as well as new-build green roof and Green Infrastructure policies.

The UK Green Roof Market Survey 2016 aims to help the built environment sector understand the value of the market, in order to increase the uptake of Green Infrastructure for healthy, resilient and biodiverse cities.

Over the coming months, the survey will assess the size of the UK green roof market. As a result of this work, a comprehensive value of the market will be determined. Over the years, Livingroofs.org has received frequent requests from finance houses and investors wanting to understand the market. In addition, companies hoping to enter the market over the last 14 years have also requested the information.

The UK green roof market

green roof market - Europe
European Green Roof Market (EFB, 2015)

Until now, we have relied upon a market ‘guestimation’. Our last ‘guestimate’ was in 2015. This figure is published in a report by the European Federation of Green Roof and Wall Associations (EFB).

The UK Green Roof Market Survey 2016

The UK Green Roof Market Survey 2016 consists of several stages. Together with a full market survey, other surveys will run in parallel, starting with the first survey on the barriers and drivers to Green Infrastructure uptake by the sector.

How Green Infrastructure is purchased, including green roofs and walls, is an important aspect of the UK market assessment. The survey takes less than 3 minutes – we would be very grateful if you would complete it.

We are also establishing the volumes of substrate (growing medium) sold in the UK in 2015, to help us assess the size of the market. We are currently gathering the information from suppliers of green roof substrates.

Nigel Wraxall of Wraxalls says about the UK Green Roof Market Survey 2016:

“It is essential that suppliers to the UK green roof market are fully aware of any central government policy that relates to the sector. With potential funding streams and policy initiatives emerging, I fully support Livingroofs.org’s investigation and analysis of the UK green roof market. I think it is essential that the green roof industry pool our resources, harmonising  our efforts to promote the industry. Livingroofs.org’s work in this regard will hopefully benefit all of us as suppliers in the short and long term.”

We have already received information on substrate volumes for 2015 from:

wraxall

shire

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  • Green-tech

green-tech

 

Further information is pending from the other major UK suppliers of green roof substrates. If you supply green roof substrates and have not yet been contacted please email us. All survey information to Livingroofs.org and Chaucer Landscape Management is fully confidential with a non-disclosure document.