GREEN INSTANCE The International Review of Living Infrastructure

S P R I N G - S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

COVER PHOTOSwarthmore College, David Kemp Hall by Green Roof Technology

GREEN INSTANCEThe International Review of Living Infrastructure

Publisher:Green Roof Service LLC3646 Roland Ave.Baltimore, Maryland 21211

Phone 443 345 1578Fax 443 345 1533E-mail info@greenrooftechnology.comWeb www.greenrooftechnology.com

Senior EditorJörg BreuningGreen Roof Service LLC

W E K N O W F O R M A N D F U N C T I O N

SUN-ROOTS

GREEN WALLS

AN A-LIST EVENT

TELLUS 360

TECH TALKP a g e 1 3 - 1 8

P a g e 9 - 1 0

P a g e 5 - 8

P a g e 3 - 4

Climbing in All Directions

The ‘Sun-Root’ Living Roof System

Celebrity Cruises’ Lawn Club

Old Roof New StoryP a g e 1 1 - 1 2

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Layout:Green Roof Service LLC

Edition:2 ; year 2

CONTENTGREEN INSTANCEThe International Review of Living Infrastructure

Welcome to Green Roof Technology.

Spring is here and this time of year is always an especially good time to celebrate the incredible wonders of nature’s design. We spend the best part of our lives trying to harness nature’s beauty and utilize its nourishing potential to better our built environments. Our commitment to living infrastructure drives us to continue encouraging all architects, developers, city officials, and all alike to continue integrating living systems into their designs. The most beautiful designs in our built environments originate from that sweet spot where form and function meet seamlessly. In the world of living infrastructure, the beauty of form and function resides in the systems that best mimic natural ecosystems while carrying out their intended purpose effectively and efficiently.

In our second edition of Green Instance, we highlight products, projects, and methodologies that exemplify this philosophy. We believe the future of living infrastructure resides in its ability to be seamlessly integrated with existing technologies. The combination of solar photovoltaic elements and modern green roof technology is one such opportunity. The ‘Sun-Root’ Living Roof System harnesses these principals and is the newest green roof technology to reach the American shores.

Over the last five years, Green Roof Technology has had the pleasure working with Celebrity Cruises to develop and install their award winning Lawn Clubs. These ground-remote natural turf lawns are one-of-a-kind and have forever transformed the landscape of seafaring habitation.

Green roofs are our passion, and no issue of Green Instance will pass without a highlight of one of our favorite projects and a word of wisdom about their application.

Once again thank you for your support and we look forward to continuing our conversation.

Jörg Breuning

EDITORIALThe Beauty of Form and Function

The ‘Sun Roots’ Living Roof SystemA n d r e w Ya n d e r s

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Lower Left: Sun-Root Construction - Optigrun

Right: Field of Sun-Roots - Optigrun

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and can shut down if temperatures rise too high. Green roofs reduce roof top ambient temperatures through evaporation and evapotranspiration, dramatically increasing PV efficiency.

BENEFITS OF THE ‘Sun-Root’ LIVING ROOF SYSTEM

• Each ‘Sun-Root’ is 7.5’ x 4’ and produces approximately 350 Watts.• Does not penetrate roof membrane.• First solar mounting system optimized for green roofs.• 30° attachment angle for maximum power yield. • PV panel inclines are adjustable for irregular roof pitch (2-5%).• Compatible with most photovoltaic panels. • Uses high-quality recycled HDPE with UV inhibitors for durability and extended life. • Much lower environmental impact comparing to metal racking systems. • Rigid ‘root’ design for maximum strength.• Light-weight and easy to install.

Bottom: ‘Sun-Roots’ during installation Photo - Optigrun

Right: Field of ‘Sun-Roots’ Photo - Optigrun

Heat is the enemy of energy production. It has a negative impact on voltage, which affects power production. When atmospheric temperatures on a roof begin to rise, PV elements lose their efficiency

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GREEN WALLSClimbing in All DirectionsK a t H a r r o l d

Left: Balcony Green Walls Green Root Technology

Top Right: Green wall, Support mesh ~ Green Roof Technology Green Wall Apartment Building - Goldtex

Mid Right: Jasmine nudiflorum ~ usda.org Parthenocissus quinquefolia ~ wildflower.org

Hydrangea petiolaris ~ Green Roof Technology

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With the right plant selection outdoor green walls make wonderful neighbors. A green wall composed of hardy vines can provide seasonal interest with an array of colorful leaves and fragrant blossoms. Plant selection can also attract birds and pollinating insects.

In spite of their good looks, climbing green walls can be low maintenance requiring only occasional pruning and irrigation. Steel cables and wire-mesh grids can be used to support and train climbing vegetation.

Green walls can play an important role in energy savings. By shading the building during the summer and providing insulation in the winter, green walls reduce seasonal stresses of heating and cooling. The ideal location for a green wall to reduce summer cooling costs is the south facing side of the building. The southern exposure receives the most sun light which can also be very beneficial to the vines.

Where square footage is at a premium the demand for green space has become one of the hottest commodities. In a high rise apartment building one might consider the options quite scarce. Try thinking outside the box, literally, and imagine all the vertical space available. Where horizontal space is limited, vertical gardens offer a green oasis in a concrete jungle.

“Steel cables and wire-mesh grids can be used to support and guide climbing

AN A-LIST EVENTCelebrity Cruises’ The Lawn ClubK a t H a r r o l d

Project Name: The Lawn Club Year: 2008 - 2012Owner: Celebrity CruisesLocation: Worldwide Building Type: Lawn Type: Intensive System: Single Source ProviderSize: 22,000 - 20,000 sq. ft.Slope: 0%Access: Accessible, Private

Lawn keeper - Photos: Green Roof Technology7

To meet the ship’s design challenge, Green Roof Technology utilized modern green roof technology to successfully reduce the profile of the vegetation support system by several inches in order to meet center-of-gravity weight restrictions. If it were not for the engineering ingenuity of the firm, The Lawn Club would not have been realized. The beauty of the lawn is derived from its form. The application of good engineering has led to a beautiful product.

Typically lawn systems supporting lush turf grass require a soil depth of at least twelve inches. In order to meet weight restrictions, a 5 inch modified green roof system with subsurface irrigation was designed. A surface irrigation system is used to flush excess salts from the lawn. All runoff from the lawn is collected and treated on the ship.

Green Roof Technology will be embarking again to northern Germany in the fall to manage the installation of another Lawn Club.

Over the last three years, Celebrity Cruises has introduced a whole new class of ships to its fleet. Characterized by its chic and elegant design, the Solstice Class is also the world’s most environmentally friendly cruise ship line. In 2008, Green Roof Technology was commissioned to design and manage the installation of the world’s first seafaring turf lawn. The Lawn Club has become synonymous with the level of luxury Celebrity Cruises offers to its passengers. The wonderful reception of the Celebrity Solstice Lawn Club has led to three more Solstice Class ships equipped with their own Lawn Clubs.

Photos: Green Roof Technology

CELEBRITY LAWN CLUBLush turf grass sets the stage for that perfect summer day. Nothing makes a relaxing

afternoon or picnic more enjoyable than the feel of grass between your toes.

SWARTHMORE DAVID KEMP HALLReaches Tenure K a t H a r r o l d

Project Name: David Kemp Hall Year: 2008Owner: Swarthmore CollegeLocation: Swarthmore, PA, USABuilding Type: Academic Type: ExtensiveSystem: Single Source ProviderSize: 8,600 sq. ft.Slope: 0%Access: Accessible, Private

Photos by: Green Roof Technology11

The 8,600 sf green roof is the home to many plant species including sedum album murale, sedum spurieum roseum, delosperma nubigerum, and some indigenous plantings. The green roof also features a raised planting bed for experimental vegetation such as cacti.The profile of the green roof is a shallow extensive system and has a total profile of 3.5 inches with the growing media depth composed of 2 inches. While Swarthmore may have a reputation for having the best maintained green roofs in the area, the maintenance required on the roof is blissfully minimal. To maintain its pristine state Gardener Lars Rasmussen weeds occasionally as needed and irrigates only when drought conditions exceed two weeks. The roof is minimally fertilized and occasionally cutting back of the overly aggressive plants takes place to encourage more diversity on the roof.Since its installation the green roof has reduced run off, air pollution, and saved energy on the top floor of the building by as much as 25%. While the green roof is not available for students to congregate it is open for guided tours and classes and is visible to all from the third floor.

For some, green roofs may seem a novel addition to a green minded institution but to Swarthmore College it was an essential and strategic move. When the college needed to add a dormitory to accommodate its growing student body, there were concerns about the increased run off from the new construction. Green roofs offered a solution that minimized the building foot print making construction of the new dorm possible. The green roof was spear headed by a few brave faculty, dedicated alumni and students, and Green Roof Technology. To stay on budget the school chose to invest in a green roof instead of the costly LEED certificate while still building to LEED standards. This dorm was recognized in 2010 with the American Institute of Architects Housing Award.

10Green roof yoga warrior pose ~ Tellus 360 Vegetated swale of grasses flowering herbaceous plants ~ Tellus 360

Upper Right: Swarthmore College extensive green roof

By Green Roof Technology Lower Right: German Residence By Green Roof Technology

GREEN ROOF IRRIGATIONEnvironmentally Questionable and Expensive – Why so Common then?A n d r e w Ya n d e r s

Photo - Green Roof Technology13

Here at Green Roof Technology we are often confronted with a perplexing industry occurrence. Frequently we visit extensive green roof sites or monitor extensive green roof projects that have installed an irrigation system. It is difficult to justify the necessity of an irrigation system for extensive green roofs. Sedums, other low growing succulent species, many grasses, and herbaceous plants require no irrigation. The proper selection of plant species is crucial and species not suited for extensive green roof purposes should not be used. An irrigation system wastes potable water on plants that do not need it.

This excess water only serves to promote the growth of unwanted plants from foreign origins.

Four to five inch extensive green roof systems are well suited to most regions and do not require irrigation. (Depending on when the extensive green roof is installed, a temporary irrigation program may be necessary during the establishment phase.) Weight-saving systems less than 4 inches are often designed with an irrigation system to compensate for their inability to retain sufficient water during periods of drought. If the purpose of an extensive green roof is to retain stormwater, then why design a system that does not retain enough water to moderate periods without precipitation and requires the use of additional potable water? It is again difficult to justify the need for an irrigation system on extensive green roofs.

Green Roof Technology has recommended that local governments establish a clear consumer-oriented guideline for the best-practice in extensive green roof construction in their communities. This document would clear-up any misunderstandings among potential green roof investors and serve well to educate the wider public on the functions of the various layers involved in green roof systems.

FLL REVISITEDThe Green Roofing GuidelineA n d r e w Ya n d e r s

Photos: FLL

To read the complete FLL Green Roofing Guideline summary, please visit www.greenrooftechnology.com/case-studies.

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Upper Right: Allianz Headquarters in Stuttgart By Green Roof Technology Lower Right: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, PA By Green Roof Technology

The FLL Green Roofing Guideline first appeared in 1982 as the “Principles of Green Roofing” and since 1992 has been reworked many times as “Guideline for the Planning, Construction and Maintenance of Green Roofing – Green Roofing Guideline.” It is recognized as the benchmark set of regulations for green roofing in Germany. The FLL Roof Greening Guideline is also widely accepted abroad and serves in some neighboring countries as the basis for developing their own regulations.

Our summary covers the 2008 edition of the FLL Green Roofing Guideline. The preface to the FLL guideline clearly states the importance and relevancy of the Guideline and the constant diligence taken to adapt and outline the newest developments in the green roofing industry. The Guideline is the result of unpaid technical and scientific cooperative work and is intended to be a recognized code of practice or state-of-the-art; it is a basic tool for the planning, construction and maintenance of reliable and high quality performing green roofs. The Guideline also includes transparent, consumer oriented testing methods for the investigation of vegetation, substrates and aggregate drainage materials and the investigation of resistance to root penetration of roof membranes and protective layers.

Three sections of this paper provide a brief summary of the three major components of The Green Roofing Guideline: Planning, Execution, and Maintenance. It is important to note that the Guideline requires a fundamental background in horticultural science and engineering principals. The Guideline is not an IKEA step-by-step construction manual designed to enable any Do-It-Yourself project.

Before Green Roof: Allianz Headquarters Stuttgart Germany After: 20+ Year Old Green Roorf Allianz Headquarters Stuttgart Germany

BEFORE AFTER

Poor maintenance leads to out of control plant growth. Inadequate vegetation-free zones and mulching create drainage prob-

GREEN ROOF FORENSICSL a n c a s t e r S c h o o l D i s t r i c t C a l l s I n a G r e e n R o o f D o c t o r

B y A n d r e w Ya n d e r s

During the Fall of 2011, the School District of Lancaster and LIVE Green Lancaster requested Green Roof Technology to tour and evaluate three green roofs in the district. The general diagnosis of the health of the green roofs was poor. The obvious neglect of maintenance duties, coupled with a few key structural deficiencies, directly led to the deterioration of ecosystem.

One of the most prevalent problems was the lack of weeding, which resulted in a siege on the roof by unwanted plants. Tall weeds reached high above the sedums blocking out the sunlight and stealing water. Extensive green roofs require a low amount of maintenance over the course of their lifespan, but do require diligent, sometimes frequent, maintenance during their 2 – 3 year establishment phase. A coordinated maintenance program between a maintenance team and a green roof professional is a must. Professional oversight should be present to monitor progress and actively evaluate the health of the green roof ecosystem.

While mulching may work for ground applications, it is a death sentence to a green roof. Mulching around a drain inlet, instead of providing a vegetation-free zone, promotes unwanted plant growth in and around the drain. The combined effect of unwanted plant growth and accumulation of organic matter around the drain will cause clogs and blockages. Drains must be covered with inspection boxes, surrounded by eighteen inches of vegetation-free zone, and routinely inspected as part of the maintenance program. In this case, the drainage area must be cleaned and rebuilt by a green roof professional in order to mitigate potential structural issues and begin the journey back to full health.

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“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

Henry David Thoreau

ROOFTOP REFLECTION

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