Here are a couple videos of the green roof we did with Kevin Songer of Metro Verde. It is quite Breath Taking the transformation this roof has made! What you will see is Green Roof Video 1 and Green Roof Video 2. Click Video 1 first of course then Video 2. Awesome!Green Roof Video 1Green Roof Video 2
This video was shot on 6/29/2011. This is a prime example when a green roof is done incorrectly and the wrong plants are used.Green Roof gone Wrong
Well,
The free roof is complete and the Patten Family is 100% satisfied. We are so happy to be able to help such a worthy family. These folks got it tough yet wake up with a smile everyday and take the world as it comes at them. We can all learn a valuable lesson about adversity and facing that adversity head on. We are very proud and thankful we could help them in the way we know best. Congratulations to the Pattens and their beautiful new roof!
Pamela and Scott Patten
Thought I would post a short video of the green roof we have done with Metroverde and Kevin Songer on the Breaking Ground Construction building. What you are seeing is a green roof matting system on top of a TPO roof. The matting systems are bordered with a 3×3 metal edging that has weep holes drilled through it for proper drainage. Also we installed a TPO walk mat for added traction, cleaner look, and it also will help protect the TPO from any added wear and tear. On top of the matting system is Peat Moss, Organic Suwannee Soil, Leaves, and Pine Neeles. Through out you will see many types of plants ranging from Black berries and tomatoes to mint and many native plants. More plants are to come, like several Agave plants which will be along the perimeter of the mat system. Towards the end of the video you see a bucket where the A/C condensate line drains into. From there you see a hose which runs into the plant areas. We are recycling the A/C waste water. That is the rough system with the red hose. We are going to fine tune the system to where it looks alot cleaner and flows freely through some piping. This is the first green roof of its kind in this area of Florida.Green Roof Video 1
Congratulations to Mrs. Pamela Patten and her family for being the recipients of this years C. Sterling Free Roof Give away. We had over 70 essay entries with many having potential for the free roof. Her story was very moving. Not only that but her roof was in very bad shape and in need of immediate removal and replacement.
We as a company did not want to just give away a roof to just anyone. We are not the first people to do this. Most companies offer free roofs with some restrictions such as bad wood replacement, certain quantities and labor costs that are not given with the roof.
We on the other hand wanted to help someone in need so we are simply offering everything for free. The roof work will not cost Mrs. Patten a dime. We are very proud and honered to be helping her and her family. She has a very unique story that you can follow via this link http://www.scottsfight.com/ Her family was struck with a tragic incident a few years ago.
Besides Mrs. Patten, many of the other entries had very moving stories. One thing I found amazing was peoples will and determintaion to triumph in the face of adversity. Some of the folks we met were stricken with extremely adverse conditions that most people would crumble under. I was amazed at the strength that these folks showed. To look adversity right in the face and take it head on is a characteristic many of our everyday leaders lack. These folks are everday heroes and we salute them for all the courage they exhibit each and everyday.
Once again thank you to everyone who submitted an essay!
Thursday, April 28, 2011Green Roofs and Hurricanes
The Eastern Pacific Hurricane season begins in about two weeks, on May 15th and the Atlantic Hurricane season follows shortly thereafter.
Hurricane design is an important consideration for green roofs. If a green roof is to be built in areas subject to hurricane or cyclone impacts then a few simple guidelines will help make the design more resilient against wind and storm damage.
At a minimum, we recommend;
No large trees on a roof.
Small shrubs and small trees may be used successfully depending upon the final design. This may seem like a common-sense guideline but people try to put all types of tall, large trees on patio or garden roofs. During a 130 mph cyclone, the tree will probably be blown over and may cause damage from the fall against the structure or to the street below. It may also become airborne if the winds are strong enough.
Anything and everything on a roof should be permanently attached.
Walkways should be constructed from a permanently attached TPO, EDPM or other mat and permanently affixed to the roof.
No loose chairs, tables or other items should be present. If you wish to have a chair and table stay on a roof during a cyclone, they must be permanently attached.
All green roof components must be permanently attached to the structure.
Any trays, plastics, pots, containers or other green roof components must be permanently attached to the building structure. Florida Building Code does not allow for loose items to be installed on a roof – they must be attached.
Green Roof Irrigation components must be permanently attached to the roof.
Make sure all tools and gardening utensils are picked up and put away.
It is very easy to forget the pair of shears, scissors or pliers on a roof. Remember what you were using and where you liad them.
Plant selection should be focused on those species that have historically survived cyclone and hurricane incidents. There are several good books available at most bookstores here in Florida on proper cyclone resistent landscaping and many resources on the web, such as the Brevard County Landscaping Guide for Hurricane Areas.
Check on the NOAA National Hurricane Center website daily. The NHC webpage is a wonderful resource, full of links to climatic data.
Always use a green roof design or green roof system already proven in actual field trials with hurricane simulation testing. Watching a green roof blow off during a storm is an avoidable event. Due diligence upfront and preparedness is important for green roofs in hurricane prone and cyclone impacted areas.
Posted by Kevin Songer, J.D. at 2:31 AM
Friday, April 22, 2011Green Roofs Florida, Earth Day Significance – Chionanthus virginicus Planted
Today we celebrate Earth Day here in Jacksonville by planting a Grancy Grey Beard, or Old Man’s Beard, Chionanthus virginicus, on the Breaking Ground Contracting living roof.
Chionanthus virginicus ready for planting on the BGC Green Roof today, Earth Day 2011
To me, the tree and the project are very special. Before moving to Jacksonville we owned a beautiful parcel of land on the Gulf Coast of Florida, one filled with pine flatwoods and cypress swamps. Chionanthus virginicus grew wild there, along with her evergreen cousin the American olive, Osmanthus americanus, both being members of the Oleaceae family. The olive is a beautiful evergreen shrub or small tree while the Grancy Grey Beard is deciduous.
In the early spring, along with Carolina jessamine, Chionanthus is one of the first blooms one comes across in Florida’s nature and the sight is stunning. Beautiful white, fringe-like flowers fill the shrub and call to wildlife.
Breaking Ground Green Roof Planting Beds, Solar Panels in the background
Planting a Grancy Grey Beard on the Breaking Ground Contracting’s living roof is symbolic of Earth Day’s true intent as Breaking Ground’s staff are focused on sustainable construction, leading the way for their neighborhood renovation and creating a facility not only serving as an office but as an educational outreach resource for sustainability, to all.
As we celebrate Earth Day in many ways around the world, Green and Living Roofs stand side by side with other sustainability measures, cleaning stormwater, creating wildlife habitat for supporting biodiversity, sequestering carbon, cleaning the air we breath with fresh oxygen, offering educational, economic and social opportunities in the Urban Core and more.
Hope all have a wonderful and sustainable Earth Day 2011
These are some photos and video from our Green Roof Install with Metroverde on the new Breaking Ground building. Photos are of the Install of metal trim border with weep holes and installing the green mat provided by Metroverde.
Eco-friendly living roof trend takes root in U.S.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Guadencio Sanchez waters the Living Roof at the California Academy of Sciences on April 20, 2009, in San Francisco. The academy’s green rooftop keeps the building’s interior an average of 10 degrees cooler than a standard roof would.
By Jan Wiese-Fales Columbia Daily Tribune
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Northern Europeans have lived in houses with sod roofs for centuries. In this country, the Louis and Clark Expedition crossed paths with the Mandan tribe in the upper Missouri River Valley living in sod-covered timber frame houses.
European settlers on the Great Plains built “soddies”— the materials at handmade shelters that held the heat inside during the cold, windy winters and kept it out in the summer. That climate-control benefit is one factor that has fueled a growing trend toward green roofs, first in Europe but increasingly in the United States.
According to a survey conducted by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the square footage of living roofs in the United States grew by 28.5 percent in 2010.
Portland, Ore., offers homeowners a $5-per-square-foot incentive for “eco-roofs” to aid in stormwater management. Living roofs slow runoff an estimated 50 to 90 percent, taking pressure off growing municipalities to build additional drainage and treatment systems to handle increased runoff.
Washington, D.C., has set a goal for itself of 20 percent green roof coverage by 2020, and Chicago leads the country in living roofs with an estimated 600 green roofs totaling 7 million square feet.
In Columbia, there is at least one green roof, on the Fay Street Lofts, though there might be others I don’t know about.
In addition to mitigating runoff, living roofs filter stormwater and decrease pollution. They provide a reduction in individual buildings’ heating and cooling costs, and the more green roofs that exist, the greater the overall temperature reduction for an entire city.
Green roofs reduce noise, increase habitat for birds and invertebrates and could provide gardening space in urban settings.
There are basically two types of green roofs: intensive and extensive.
Intensive living roofs are those that come to mind when you think of rooftop gardens, with small trees, shrubs and a variety of plants. Most often built on flat rooftops, they have at least 8 inches of planting medium and might include a foot or more of soil. The weight of an intensive green roof can be as much as 150 pounds per square foot, a key consideration.
Rooftop gardens of this type require the same maintenance that any garden would require, including weeding and watering in extended dry spells.
Extensive green roofs are much shallower with only 3 to 5 inches of growing medium. Plant selection is geared toward vegetation that can handle heat and thrive in both dry conditions and in the sudden wet conditions of storms. Choosing the right plants can be tough, but sedums have proved exceptionally adaptable, and the wide variety of species provides some beautiful options, especially attractive to succulentphiles like me. Fay Street Lofts is planted with sedums.
Even pitched roofs can be green if the extensive green roof model is utilized, though it requires a little more engineering. And speaking of engineering, a structural engineer should be consulted before any green roof retrofitting. Even shallow soils can add 15 to 30 pounds of weight per square foot to a roof. The plants that are so beautiful and beneficial on the roof are just awful if they end up on top of your bed.
Green roofs cost somewhere between two to three times as much as a standard roof — though shingles might have to be replaced within 15 years — but a green roof can have a 50-year lifespan.
Construction of a living roof might include the addition of several layers, including a layer of insulation. A waterproof barrier obviously is a necessity, and a drainage layer is added beneath the growing medium, which typically is a soil-less mix.
A vibrant and growing green roof industry is evolving that includes architects, builders and plant persons: green jobs to bolster our economy. Just type “green roof” into your Internet browser for a mind-boggling number of living roof resources.
The Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring the seventh annual National Sustainable Design Expo this weekend in Washington, D.C. It features “innovative technologies designed to advance economic growth while reducing environmental impact,” including green roof technologies.
And don’t forget, Columbia is celebrating Earth Day today in the Peace Park area — on and near the University of Missouri campus. If it’s raining, the city’s celebration of our wonderful planet will take place May 1.
Jan Wiese-Fales is a Master Gardener who lives and pulls weeds at Mole Hill in rural Howard County. You can reach her at fertilemind@sbcglobal.net.
This article was published on page E2 of the Sunday, April 17, 2011 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune. 
ALBANY, NY (WAMC) – In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Mark Simmons of the University of Texas at Austin outlines the benefits of green roof technology.
Dr. Mark Simmons is a research ecologist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include applying ecological and ecophysiological mechanisms to specific conservation, restoration and environmental problems, as well as the manipulation, conservation, restoration and regeneration of ecosystems. He holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
About Dr. Simmons
Dr. Mark Simmons – Green Roofs
A green roof is a flat or gently sloping roof with vegetation growing on it. Their benefits include the ability to help cool buildings and reduce the urban “heat-island” effect. They can capture and even filter impurities out of stormwater that falls on roof vegetation – preventing pollutants from reaching creeks and other water sources. And they provide aesthetic beauty and habitat for wildlife.
However, so far little attention has focused on how green roofs are made or their use in warmer climates, where they have the most potential. We have shown that green roofs can perform well in warmer climates where high temperatures and flash floods are common. We have also found that green roof components have a big impact on their ability to cool a building’s interior and clean stormwater of impurities.
Warm climates are challenging because they expose plants to high temperatures and high rates of water loss. We are refining the design of several green roof types for Texas and for other subtropical regions. This includes considering using native plants that are adapted to warmer weather, and determining how best to retain moisture using irrigation or spongy layers inside the green roof media. Because climate varies across subregions, suitable plants will need to be found for green roofs in each area.
Finally, more sustainable green roof materials and techniques need to be developed. These include improved irrigation methods, smaller drainage layers, and incorporating organic matter into the soil media.
