Long popular in Europe and, in recent years, North America green roofs and walls are gaining popularity in Australia. Sure, they provide shelter from the elements, but they can definitely offer more.
Whether it is ecological, economical, or just simply visually stunning, here is a top ten of my favourites.
10) Imperial Hotel Roof
Tokyo Japan
9) The Paddington Reservoir
Sydney, Australia
8) Nanyang Technological University; School of Arts, Design and Media
Singapore
7) House at the outskirts of Brussels
Brussels, Belgium
6) The High Line
New York, USA
5) Santa Lucia Preserve Community
California, USA
4) Living wall on the Musée du Quai Branly
Paris, France
3) Green Volcano Building - Vulcano Buono
Nola, Italy
2) California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco, USA
1) Beach Huts
Blythe, England
What is yours?
green roofs
This is a very knew area of scientific inquiry and we are just scratching the surface. However, enough successful work has been done that compels us to start incorporating these tactics and strategies in our built environment as partners in progress. Our green standards are abysmally too low for any serious self-congratulations. By using grey water as green roof and living wall irrigation now, we can start evaluating the phytoremediation effects as we go. After mechanical filtration and phytoremediation, along with control of the contaminants we introduce into our environment, I see no reason why we can’t start using green water for a wide array of uses from laundry to washing food to washing ourselves, to irrigating food crops, to irrigating green roofs and living walls in areas short on potable water.
The environmental benefits of green roofs have now been well documented, and include storm water retention, improved water quality and provision of a recycled water supply, evaporative cooling from plants, biofiltration of airborne pollutants, and increased carbon dioxide/oxygen exchange through photosynthesis.
Current research in Adelaide involves monitoring thermal performance, water quality and useage, and plant performance characteristics of extensive and intensive green roof beds on the 22nd level rooftop of ANZ House in Adelaide. Green roofs can minimise rising temperatures and the UHI in Australian cities, which would have a dramatic impact on public health, given that heat waves are now recognised as the nation's major natural disaster, ahead of bushfires and floods.
Graeme Hopkins and Christine Goodwin report
To restore the balance in urban ecosystems, urban planners and designers have started to look for different ways to generate green spaces in an increasingly grey world. Green spaces benefit cities and their inhabitants by minimizing temperature variation, absorbing rainwater, reducing stormwater runoff and promoting biodiversity, all of which can improve the well-being of the cities inhabitants.