Treatment MeasuresRooftop Greening : Overview
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As stormwater falls upon the cities rooftop that cover up to 90% of the surface area, in doing so absorbing particulate and pollutants from the atmosphere and the roof's surface. Through conventional stormwater drainage this rooftop runoff is transported into natural waterways where its pollutes. To prevent the spread of the pollution from its source of urbanised areas, primary and secondary treatment is required. A method of treating this water that has other benefits such as aesthetics, water reuse and temperature control, is known as rooftop greening.
A search for a green solution to acoustic insulation for a theatre auditorium led Landscape designer Marie Clarke (studio@marieclarke.com) to Erisco Bauder (www.Erisco-Bauder.co.uk) reinforced sedum (stonecrop) blankets. These sedum mats proved capable of dealing with steeply pitching roofs within strict loading limitations of the existing roof structures required by the Almeida Theatre in their temporary home in King's Cross.
The product was adapted for use on the walls and gables creating a very lush enclave even though there is little room to grow things in a conventional manner.
And in the true spirit of theatre, over a quarter of an acre of sedum mat can be rolled up and taken tot he next venue along with the cast and stage props, if required.
In densely built-up areas where land is at a premium, rooftop gardens may be the only practicable way to "green" the city… Although not studied here, it appears likely that rooftop gardens can reduce the amount of urban stormwater runoff by adding more permeable surfaces to the city and can improve the quality of runoff, by filtering runoff water through garden soils. Because of its positive impact on urban climate, on air pollution, on energy use and on stormwater runoff, it appears likely that, if introduced on a wider scale, rooftop greening could reduce the ecological footprint of our cities.
A discussion paragraph quoted from:
"ROOFTOP GREENING AND LOCAL CLIMATE: A CASE STUDY IN MELBOURNE" Michael Bruse University of Bochum, Institute for Geography, Universitaetsstrasse 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany and Carol J. Skinner Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289K, Melbourne 3001, Australia