Great ExPEDition
This is totally cool. The number of industrial roofs that have been topped with soil and plants increased 70% in the North America last year. Cool because Chicago was the #1 city to expand green roofs last year and in the US it's voluntary, but governments give incentives to go green. That's the way to do it.I'm thinking of a bunch of other cool side effects of this. If we plant really tall buildings we get a different elevation and possibly a different environment and ecosystem. Can we plant rainforests up there? If we plant enough roofs we might be able to get a totally new and independent ecosystem. Most of the roofs are not accesible to the public.
I'm thinking "Lost World of Roi Rama!" Anyone up for an expedition in the future?
Addition by Author: Rainforests have very poor and shallow soil so I suspect the trees have shallow roots, which would work for the rooftops (hate to see the CEO's desk pierced with a tree root in the middle of a board meeting). I also just found out that Kenosha, WI (Wisconsin, not West Indies) has green roofs that they populated with sheep! How cool is that! Next they'll have to put wolves or coyotes up there to cull the herds. Oo I feel so many stories a-brewin'.
posted by Inner Prop at 10:37 AM
5 Comments:
Well, this is all pretty cool. But, I was wondering one thing as I read this post. Are the roofs on those building equiped to handle the weight?
OMG Devil Dog you're right! We'd better get them sheep down. But wait, what if they're flying sheep, n'est pas?
I wondered the same thing devildog. The weight of the sheep would be too much for the roof?
Also, would the residents beneath hear them walking around, etc. Nothing like a wandering herd above to keep a person awake all night!!
Team, Germany has done some amaznig thins with green roofs. Some even have harvestable materials which can be converted into biomass fuels!!
The worst thing an architect can do is to plunk down hectares of impermeable space in the form of big box retailers of distribution centers.
There is an interesting study as to why it always seems to rain on the weekends in and around big cities, its due to (you guessed it!) local thermal effects of the city area! Not to mention pollution. I have always felt that Southeastern cities fared better than their Western, Midwestern and Northeastern counterparts due in large part to the heavy forest near most.
The German system is MANDITORY though. The US is voluntary with incentives. I like that better and I'm sur MJ would agree.
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