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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (8272)	7/24/2008 5:01:33 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24213

Don’t let green roofs be victims of the crunch 18 July 2008 Why green roofs add real value to a building, not just ‘eco-bling’ - By Phil Clark Why bother specifying a green roof when it adds extra costs, consultants, hassle and work? This attitude seems common when it comes to deciding whether to add vegetation to your scheme’s structure. And in the credit crunch, any part of a project that could be considered an added expense is likely to be first for the chop. So does this spell a decline for the green roof, which has emerged as a significant sustainable design addition in the past few years? One certainly hopes not. First, to claim that green roofs are mere eco-bling is profoundly misguided. Benefits range from the improved performance of the structure itself, to reducing flood risk, enhancing biodiversity, and creating better urban spaces. Its sheer versatility can actually be a curse, according to one of its leading proponents in London, Dusty Gedge. “They do lots of things but in medium ways,” he says. “A bit of nature here, less air-conditioning there, preventing run-off rainwater there — but it adds up to quite a lot.” He adds that such roofs are a powerful tool in climate change adaptation. And they’re a big points scorer in the Breeam rating, helping you reach that much coveted “excellent” status. The misconceptions surrounding green roofs were highlighted at the Sustainability Now virtual event earlier this month, which on the second day turned its attention to roofs. Green roof expert Alun Tarr was there to defend his corner from sceptics, claiming clients’ decisions to drop them were often down to “ill informed engineers and quantity surveyors”. He stressed that the commitment to press ahead with one needs to be “enmeshed in the whole project infrastructure”. “Green roofs do lots of things in medium ways, but it adds up to quite a lot” Gedge agrees, chiding architects for failing to wake up the significant part nature can play in the design of buildings. “They’ve always viewed technology as offering solutions. Vegetation has not been part of their palette,” he says. Another reason why green roofs may be here to stay is the proposal that the draft London Plan should have an “expectation” that major developments will have green roofs unless the developer has a very good reason not to; and Sheffield City Council is proposing to amend its supplementary planning policy to require green roofs on all large and medium-sized developments. Expect other major cities to follow this lead. Second, there’s growing proof green roofs can be cost-neutral or even provide a saving in the long run by reducing the need for developments to have water amelioration or attenuation structures — as the roof will soak up excess rainfall. A study last year by consultant Hyder claimed that a scheme in Birmingham could save nearly £150,000 by using green roofs instead of such tanks. What more do you need to prove the worth of a green addition up top? bdonline.co.uk