Green roof
[10] A 2005 study by Brad Bass of the University of Toronto showed that green roofs can also reduce heat loss and energy consumption in winter conditions.
[16] Green roofs are becoming common in Chicago, as well as in Atlanta, Portland, and other United States cities, where their use is encouraged by regulations to combat the urban heat-island effect.
[21] A study presented at the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Conference in June 2004, cited by the EPA, found water runoff was reduced by over 75% during rainstorms.
[25] Even in high-rise urban settings as tall as 19 stories, it has been found that green roofs can attract beneficial insects, birds, bees and butterflies.
Rooftop greenery complements wild areas by providing stepping stones for songbirds, migratory birds and other wildlife facing shortages of natural habitat.
[50] Extensive green roofs, by contrast, are designed to be virtually self-sustaining and should require only a minimum of maintenance, perhaps a once-yearly weeding or an application of slow-release fertiliser to boost growth.
[34] A number of European Countries have very active associations promoting green roofs, including Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, the UK, and Greece.
[53] The City of Linz in Austria has been paying developers to install green roofs since 1983, and in Switzerland, it[clarification needed] has been a federal law since the late 1990s.
Laban, a centre for contemporary dance in London, has a brown roof specifically designed to encourage the nationally rare black redstart.
[63] A green roof, 160 m (520 ft) above ground level, and claimed to be the highest in the UK and Europe "and probably in the world" to act as nature reserve, is on the Barclays Bank HQ in Canary Wharf.
In June 2014 ecological artist Lloyd Godman, with structural engineer Stuart Jones and environmental scientist Grant Harris collaborated to install an experiment using Tillandsia plants in extreme outdoor conditions at levels 92, 91, 65 and 56 on Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia.
[74] Canada's first LEED Platinum V4 Home in Wakefield QC, EcoHome's Edelweiss House,[75] has a living Green Roof which is sloped at 12 degrees.
There is on-going research on the topic as the conditions in the southern Europe are very different from those in the north and knowledge acquired there can't be directly applied to colder climates.
[77] Another huge green roof of roughly 8,000 m2 (86,000 square feet) has been incorporated into the new museum L'Historial de la Vendée which opened in June 2006 at Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne.
In Stuttgart, with one of the most innovative Department of Parks and Recreation and with the world's oldest horticultural Universities, modern green roof technology was perfected and implemented on a large scale.
The study also stated that while measurements were being made by thermal cameras, a plethora of beneficial insects were observed on the roof, such as butterflies, honey bees and ladybirds.
A meadow developed from seeds already present in the soil; it is now a haven for many plant species, some of which are now otherwise extinct in the district, most notably 6,000 Orchis morio (green-winged orchid).
The new Bo01 urban residential development (in the Västra Hamnen (Western Harbour) close to the foot of the Turning Torso office and apartment block, designed by Santiago Calatrava) is built on the site of old shipyards and industrial areas, and incorporates many green roofs.
[90] More recent examples can be found at the University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus, and in London at Sainsbury's Millennium Store in Greenwich, the Horniman Museum and at Canary Wharf.
In the United Kingdom, intensive green roofs are sometimes used in built-up city areas where residents and workers often do not have access to gardens or local parks.
[95] The pre-grown wildflower blanket sits on top of a standing seam roof and is combined with solar panels to create an eco-friendly finish to the entire factory.
The largest green roof in New York City was installed in midtown Manhattan atop the United States Postal Service's Morgan Processing and Distribution Center.
Chicago City Hall Green Roof won merit design award of the American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) competition in 2002.
The 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2) of outdoor space on the seventh floor of Zeckendorf Towers, formerly an undistinguished rooftop filled with potted plants, make up the largest residential green roof in New York.
[103][104][105] The roof was transformed in 2010 as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's NYC Green Infrastructure campaign, and supposedly serves to capture some of the rain that falls on it rather than letting it run off and contribute to flooding in the adjacent Union Square subway station.
[114] The program rewards the incorporation of landscaping in new building developments in an attempt to reduce stormwater runoff and associated pollution, stabilize temperatures, and create habitats for birds and insects.
[116] The Seattle City Hall has led the way by implementing a green roof project that has involved the planting of more than 22,000 pots of sedum, fescue, and grass.
[120] The Park Place building in Seattle's downtown provides a leading example of the use of landscaping to recapture rain water with the hopes of cutting back spending on utilities.
There is also possibility through the RiverSmart Rewards program for “residents and property owners to receive a significant discount on their water utility fees” if they install approved stormwater management features.
[122] In 2016, a rebate of $10-$15 per square feet was introduced, “promoting the voluntary installation of green roofs for the purpose of reducing stormwater runoff and pollutants”.
