The Basics: Part IV

When it comes to exterior treatments, a good reference for learning more about green roofs is "Green Roofs for Healthy Cities."

Their mission is to "increase the awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of green roofs and green walls." They provide accreditation to businesses that do green roof/wall installations.

What is a Green Roof? 

According to Greenroofs.org "A green roof system is an extension of the existing roof which involves a high quality water proofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants."

"Green roof systems may be modular, with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, interlocking grids, or, each component of the system may be installed separately. Green roof development involves the creation of "contained" green space on top of a human-made structure. This green space could be below, at or above grade, but in all cases the plants are not planted in the "ground'. Green roofs can provide a wide range of public and private benefits."

Shoreline City Hall has a green roof above the Council Chambers. The public can view the green roof from the third floor of the building. To schedule a group tour to review the LEED standards in use call (206) 801-2700.

Seattle City Hall also boasts a green roof. You can view a photo, read a design description and the thinking behind the project at "Design Cost Data".

Living Walls

Patrick Blanc, a French botanist interviewed for the New York Times said "Humanity is living more and more in cities, and at odds with nature," he said. "The plant wall has a real future for the well-being of people living in cities. The horizontal is finished — it's for us. But the vertical is still free."

What is not mentioned in the article is that exterior green walls help to absorb and slow down the flow of water during a rain-storm. Such exterior treatments reduce the need for storm water treatment. The article describes materials used and gives examples and photos of interior and exterior living walls.

Landscaping

For those businesses and residents who would like to reduce the amount of water run off without having to install expensive infrastructure to do so will be interested in the "12,000 Rain Gardens Campaign" to Protect Puget Sound.

Washington State University (WSU) and Puget Sound Partnership are collaborating on an ambitious program with a goal to install 12,000 rain gardens by 2016.

"Part of the appeal of rain gardens is their economic value—doing the job of multi-million dollar public storm water projects at a fraction of the cost." Rain gardens are also beautiful and provide habitat for butterflies and birds.

"The 12,000 Rain Gardens Campaign offers homeowners, city and county agencies, businesses and others free workshops and tours, providing a strong, research-based foundation to get started on building successful rain gardens."

From the 12,000 Rain Gardens Campaign website:

"Stewardship Partners has already begun using industrial rain gardens to help businesses meet their NPDES industrial storm water permit requirements. These gardens work just as well in an industrial setting, by filtering out up to 98% of water contaminants, and require little maintenance."

Everyone wins when businesses are able to incorporate sustainable landscape and/or green roof and wall design. Businesses can handle rain water run off without the expense of mechanical infrastructure, pollution is cleaned via ground water filtration, potential flooding is reduced or eliminated, clients and workers alike can appreciate the view.