Small green roofs low-tech options for greener living pdf

The text was very redundant. However, the basic information and the examples are excellent. If you are interested in building a green roof, this is a good starting resource. Jul 31, Ligaya rated it liked it.

This book will give you a nudge toward your own green roof, but you'll definitely need other resources and references. Perhaps because this field is so new and materials and techniques are still being developed but there was a lack of specifics that disappointed me. Much is repeated for each project showcased, and the numerous photos which are very informative. The range of roof sizes from a cat house to industrial buildings is great to see.

Jun 03, Chris rated it it was ok. If you're DIY and expect schematics and guides on how to build stuff — this is not for you. This will give you a glimpse into the world of green roofs, the benefits of having a green roof and what you should be aware of.

I had personally hoped for an explanation of how to build the foundation of the roof. How to do edges, runoff, etc. It alludes to different solutions but there's nothing concrete. Oct 18, Cev rated it really liked it Shelves: plants.

Wish there was more info about how it all fits together, but I suppose that would be a very different book.

Interesting read and definitely achieved its goal of making such projects seem more approachable. Jun 24, Josh rated it really liked it. Enjoyed the case study examples and looseness of it all, giving me the feeling that I just to need to get out and build a small green roof without all the technicalities.

May 11, Kelly Brenner rated it it was amazing. Written by four experts in the field of green roofs, the new book Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living was promising before it was even released. Full of information about small green roofs, their construction and biodiversity and plants, over half is devoted to 40 case studies. The book is full of inspiring and beautiful images of a wide variety of green roofs on all manner of buildings and structures.

Written for homeowners, architects, landscape archit Written by four experts in the field of green roofs, the new book Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living was promising before it was even released.

The introduction discusses green roofs on a smaller scale, a brief history of small-scale roofs and the benefits of green roofs. It is life-enhancing and will do you good, as a person, as well as doing good for the wider environment. Many homeowners create habitat for these very reasons, because it makes a difference, benefits themselves and does a wider good for the environment. This idea again lies parallel to backyard habitat and it is so important because many homeowners together can make a huge difference.

Hopefully many of the same adventurous backyard wildlife gardeners will embrace this idea as well. It discusses how all green roofs provide some value for wildlife, but with good design the roof can provide excellent habitat. Roofs offer a safe haven for many wildlife species to forage or nest on and can provide urban habitat where the land may not otherwise be able to do so. The basic design principles are discussed and can make a roof into valuable habitat with simple steps.

One of those principles which are key, is a varying substrate depth because this provides a variety of benefits such as offering places to burrow for insects and provides more diversity. Various substrates and a diversity of plants also encourage a wider variety of wildlife, particularly insects by offering different microhabitats.

Other tips include adding structural features such as stone or dead wood. Also detailed are the species that may inhabit the roof and the book discusses the importance of certain species on roofs and what has been found previously on existing green roofs.

The bulk of the book are the case studies which are divided into project types; sheds garden offices and studios, garages and other structures, houses, bicycle sheds and other small structures and lastly, community projects.

There are examples from several countries and all manner of setting and structure. Many also show the roofs at different stages and during various seasons which gives a great idea of how the roof changes over time. There are many other excellent projects in the book, all of which have valuable lessons and ideas. Overall this is an excellent book detailing the many aspects of small-scale green roofs. There are many urban, commercial and industrial applications that could benefit from this small-scale approach such as bus shelters, carports, park shelters and public restrooms among others.

Feb 20, Tanya Hakala rated it liked it. Interesting with a lot of case studies, but could of used a bit more specific detail for the diy-er. I'm thinking about putting a green roof on my tiny house. Not sure it would be a good idea in the long run. Especially if we vacation with the tiny house. Nov 05, Elena rated it liked it. Abandoned the reading and just looked at pictures. I agree with Kelley 's review, it is not easy to read.

Jul 16, Eric rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction. I really want to make a green roof happen. This book was quite helpful for figuring out some different options and ideas.

View all 3 comments. Linda rated it really liked it Aug 09, Cynthia J. Yepez rated it really liked it Aug 28, Sheryl Ehrlich rated it really liked it Nov 11, Denise rated it liked it Jan 10, Bev rated it liked it Jun 07, Tim Bouffard rated it did not like it Apr 22, Edward Morgan Griffiths rated it it was amazing Aug 11, Rod Morrison rated it liked it Feb 07, Brian Williams rated it it was amazing Jun 17, Bridget rated it really liked it Jan 01, Melissa Van parys rated it it was amazing Sep 18, Caroline Leblond rated it liked it Jan 13, Susan rated it it was ok Jul 01, Stockfish rated it it was amazing Mar 17, Middlethought rated it it was amazing Aug 05, Rizwan Raiyan rated it liked it Mar 31, Cindi rated it liked it May 29, Anne rated it liked it Nov 16, Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1 3: 16 59 0 I. Green roofs Gardening I. Dunnett, Nigel. In North America, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zea land green roofs have surged in popularity because they just seem right right because of the way they look and because of the many benefits they bring to a building's users and owners, to the people who see the building, and to the wider surroundings that the building sits within.

This sense of the inherent goodness of putting plants and nature back into the hard and stark environments of our towns and cities touches something deep within us.

It cuts to the very heart of our well being as individuals and of human society as a whole. Greening a roof, however small, is therefore a profound act, full of meaning and symbolism.

The act of greening a building or structure, whether it is retrofitted onto an existing structure or included as an ele ment in the design of a new building, makes a deep statement about the way we see the world. Green roofs get under the skin. They become fas cinating living and dynamic objects, and having or making a green roof can be life changing. The pioneering and visionary Austrian artist and designer Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who created several notable build ings with expansive gardens and forests on their roofs, put it this way quoted at www.

Grass and vegetation in the city should grow on all horizontal spaces that is to say, wherever rain and snow falls vegetation should grow, on the roads and on the roofs. The horizontal is the domain of nature and wherever vegeta tion grows on the horizontal level man is off limits.