BALI celebrates World Green Roof Day with members

The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) interviewed BALI Registered Mark Shaw of Geo Green Solutions and Chris Bridgman of Bridgman and Bridgman LLP on the topic of green roofing in the lead up to World Green Roof Day on Saturday 6 June 2020. Read on to find out their favourites green roofs projects, the importance of green roofs and the positive environmental impact they can have.

1.       Why are green roofs important to the environment?

Chris Bridgman, Bridgman & Bridgman LLP

"Green roofs are a fantastic way to recreate or replace the green space lost or taken up by development. Habitats can be recreated or encouraged at roof level, whether the roof is flat, pitched or curved. There are green roof solutions for most types of roof. The vegetation can also capture and store CO2, cleaning the air; they also reduce the surrounding air temperature and the heat island effect in towns and cities. Green roofs slow water flow and reduce flooding by utilising and temporarily storing rainwater."

Mark Shaw, Geo Green Solutions

"When a green roof if designed and installed correctly not only is it extremely pleasing to the eye bringing an array of colour to an otherwise bland grey roof. They also offer a considerable amount of benefits to the environment by contributing to items such as:

• Reducing Co2 – Green vegetation absorbs the harmful Co2 with in the atmosphere
• Creating oxygen - Plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis
• Roof lifespan – Is increased owing to being protected from ultraviolet light, rain and adverse temperatures 
• Added Insulation – A green roof reduces the amount of heat lost from a building resulting in energy saving 
• Noise reduction – Vegetation absorbs and helps to reduce the noise in the surrounding area
• Heat reduction – Vegetation helps to reduce the surface heat within built up areas
• Increased habitat – Creating an environment for insects and birds, an extension of the garden."

2.       Why is it important to highlight World Green Roof Day?

Chris Bridgman, Bridgman & Bridgman LLP

"Green roofs have so many benefits, making them a suitable mitigation against the current climate crisis. Green roofing is a global solution to a global problem, so we must spread the word and encourage more green roofs in every town, city and country. The UK has some of the biggest and most beautiful green roofs and roof gardens in the world and that is something to show off and celebrate, so much so that we are the founders of World Green Roof Day!"

Mark Shaw, Geo Green Solutions

"It’s an opportunity for the green roof industry and all associated within it to bang its drum and highlight all these good things we are doing for the environment as well as enhancing the aesthetic appearance of several buildings. To increase awareness to a broader audience and to show a broad spectrum of designs depicting green roofs on shaped and pitched roofs as well as flat roofs."

3.       What do green roofs mean for the future?

Chris Bridgman, Bridgman & Bridgman LLP

"Green roofs are simple yet so effective, why would we not incorporate green roofing into every new development of the future? There is massive retrofit potential that will help cool our cities, reduce flooding, increase green space and clean the air we breathe."

Mark Shaw, Geo Green Solutions

"There will be a definite increase in the use of green roofs as they are a positive attribute to helping the environment. A lot of this is down to increased environmental policies being introduced to help reduce our carbon footprint and currently all new and refurbished developments of a certain type put forward for planning are required to meet stringent criteria known as the BREEAM Certification Scheme which stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment  Method. This is an International Scheme that carries out an assessment of the sustainability performance on buildings, communities and infrastructure projects.

We are now seeing more green roofs than ever before, be it on universities, schools, hospitals, business parks, motorway services stations and residential developments in built-up areas, but on the whole is yet to spill over into the general housebuilding industry which is a phenomenally sized sector."

4.       Your favourite green roof project

Chris Bridgman, Bridgman & Bridgman LLP

"It would be a pitched green roof that Bridgman & Bridgman installed on the Isle of Harris: a Scandinavian timber-framed home, complete with a stunning green roof, located on the very western edge of Europe. With heather-backed mountains on one side and windswept white sands on the other, the house and garage were topped with a series of 30 degree pitched green roofs. The roof and vegetation needed to be able to cope with the high sea salt levels and winds measuring over 120mph, which the island often experiences. Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles often visit the roof."

Mark Shaw, Geo Green Solutions

"My favourite green roof project has to be my first which I carried out in Cambridgeshire over 20 years ago, it was a relatively small scheme, built on a single storey extension of an office  building, but the fact that I was building a garden on a roof brought a whole new interest to the Landscaping industry I had chosen to go into."

5.       What did it mean to your company Chris to win a BALI National Landscape Award and a Special Award in 2019 for the scheme Ikea Greenwich?

Chris Bridgman, Bridgman & Bridgman LLP

"It was an honour and privilege to be recognised in the 2019 BALI Awards and it is great that BALI regard this as an important part of the wider landscape industry. IKEA, on which the award-winning roof was installed, is a fantastic example of connecting people and nature at roof level and utilisation of roof space in a city. The BALI Award was the pinnacle for our team who worked incredibly hard to deliver the project on time and within budget."