The book Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls by Nigel Dunnet and Noel Kingsbury is an authoritative book and should be on the shelf of any Brooklyn green roof installer. I bought it in the hopes it would help improve the Eco Brooklyn living wall technique for Brooklyn brownstones where plants are actually growing on […]
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The answer is no. Here is what the Green Roof and Solar Department at the NYC DOB told me: The building code does not explicitly provide a threshold for when a green roof installation would require a permit. The department is currently developing rules to provide guidance. In the meantime, a green roof installation is
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We just wrapped up a green roof job in East New York. Here is a photo essay from start to finish. We planted late in the year and the nights were already freezing. But we trusted the hardiness of sedum and so far they have shown to be very happy on the new roof. The
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A green roof is engineered to partially duplicate normal soil only without the depth. In normal soil the earth is deep but with a typical shallow green roof (aka extensive) the soil is no more than 6 inches at the very most. You replicate an earthen environment using drainage mats and water retention mats so
We went to check on one of the green roofs we installed last year in Park Slope. It looked good! Some of the edges were a little wind bare but for the most part the sedum were happy and growing. We are Brooklyn green roof installers and it is really satisfying watching us spread a
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You have to check this picture out. It is of a strawberry on the green roof of the Brooklyn Green Show House. Notice the pine cone, sedum, flowers in the background. It is a world as seen from a field mouse or bee. We can see things like this too.
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Here is a green roof and deck we are designing for a job in Park Slope Brooklyn. The deck area ranges from 900-1100 square feet. It would be made out of salvaged fir or possibly Black Locust if budget permits. The pergolas are intentionally without many beams. The vegetation will be the main source of
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I just met with landscape designer Rachel Poritz who is designing a green roof design for some gas stations. Hey, even gas stations can benefit from a green roof. The gas stations are not just any pit stop though. They are Gaia Certified gas stations. They will sell gasoline derived from socially and environmentally responsible
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As part of our National Sustainable Building Adviser Course we visited the Queens Botanical Garden. It is amazing. The new building is totally decked out with the best of green building: solar, rainwater, gray water, toilet composting, natural vantialtion. You name it. But their greatest thing for me was their green roof. Really amazing. [salbumphotos=27,160,3,n,y,title
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Brooklyn NY brownstones are not built to carry heavy loads on their roofs. So when you install a green roof you need to build for it and know what the weights are. Here are the numbers from my friend Avra: Extensive – 10-50 lb/squ. ft Semi-intensive 30-90lb/sq. ft. Intensive 80-150 lb/sq. ft. Here are thicknesses
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