The popularity of green roofs has sharply increased over the last decade. The importance of working with a contractor that knows and understands Green Roof systems cannot be underestimated. Blondie’s has years of experience working with various Green Roof systems and maintains close relationships with the industry’s top manufacturers. Our staff has undergone comprehensive training in order to correctly specify, install and maintain both intensive and extensive systems. Properly servicing a Green Roof is a very specific skillset. Blondie’s Green Roof Team has been educated in the installation and maintenance of various Green Roof systems.
Benefits
Beyond the obvious aesthetic improvement, the benefits of incorporating a Green Roof into a building include; Waste Diversion through decreased use of heating, ventilation and HVAC systems, Stormwater Management by retaining rain water and decreasing run-off, Improved air Quality by capturing airborne pollutants and filtering gases as well as providing new amenity spaces and increase in a building’s marketability. Rooftops that were once thought of as utilitarian are now being reclaimed as shared public space. Granting access to the outdoors offers a valuable amenity and improves the quality of life.
Specification
There are many Green Roof products on the market. Selecting a system that coincides with your site conditions and synchronize with your design and usage expectations will maximize your benefits. Blondie’s team will walk you through the various considerations in system selection and provide you with a comprehensive understanding. Plants incorporated into a green roof are a precise selection. Based on the type of system chosen for the site, Blondie’s team will grow or select the healthiest sustainable plants for the project.
Installation
The installation of a Green Roof system must be closely managed. Every Green Roof system must be systematically installed with each layer needing proper installment before moving to the next. Blondie’s understands how to install, monitor and inspect the installation of this multiple layer process. Managing the project also means coordinating with everyone involved and keeping an accurate schedule. We will do all this while providing updates and maintaining clear and open communication.
Maintenance
Once a green roof has been properly installed, it is closely monitored until it is well established. This is a very important step in the process as we are insuring a healthy foundation for the garden. Supplemental watering and fertilizing are generally required, as well as occasional weeding to prevent invasive plants from taking root and optimizing the growth of selected plant material. Ongoing maintenance for all green roofs is mandatory to keep everything looking its best. A service program unique to your site will be created and includes inspection of the roof membrane, analysis and maintenance of the irrigation and drainage paths as well as supervision of all plant material.
Feature Project
Sky View Parc, Flushing Queens | Occupying a prime Downtown Flushing location, the 448-unit Sky View Parc is among New York’s largest mixed-use developments and boasts the city’s second largest green roof storm water sponge. Sounds impressive right? And it is… but what exactly is a storm water sponge? It functions much like it’s named, by retaining and repurposing rain water, diverting it from the overtaxed sewer system to prevent flooding.
Dick Bernauer of Sempergreen USA describes green roofs as a building system that “…utilizes vegetation as a tool to protect the soil and resist runoff. Purple-Roof successfully retains the most water and minimizes and/or eliminates fine particles and fertilizer runoff, making it the smartest green roof of North America.”
In addition to the storm water prevention, the giant extensive green roof provides benefits to the surrounding community, including lower temperatures, cleaner air, noise reduction, and increased property values. It is the most visible exterior feature of the new luxury development and symbolic of the improvements to the neighborhood.
For this project Blondie’s partnered up with Landscape Architect James P. Gilday. The architects delivered a smart and spectacular design featuring amazing views of Manhattan, a health club and spa, outdoor sports and a 55,000 sq. ft. sedum green roof. The outcome exceeds expectations. The green roof, sprawling across multiple levels “…uses light and shadow effects coupled with vegetation and turf areas to create visual and spatial interest from all levels of the rooftop.” Combined with the ground level park and other green amenities it creates a cascading effect, a waterfall of vibrant green.
In accordance to biophiliac design, which addresses our innate need to connect with nature, just viewing the expansive green roof from one of Sky View’s overlooking 1,200 apartment units can be of great value. Dr. Judith Heerwagen, a researcher on design, productivity and well-being also states: “We know from the growing body of literature that contact with nature is beneficial to people, even when the contact is second hand through window views. The results of this research suggest what is seen out the window is important, as well as what comes in e.g., daylight, fresh air, nature sounds and a sense of relatedness to the outdoors”.
The green roof benefits the residents and the environment at large. Ian Dana, Operations VP at Blondie’s Treehouse notes: “Large, high profile projects like Sky View Parc have a big impact on awareness, making the green roof a household name. There will be a New York City in the not-too-distant future blanketed with green roofs from Far Rockaway to the northern-most reaches of the Bronx, delivering real, quantifiable improvements to local waterways, a greater diversity of plants, birds and insects, and newly created habitats for pollinators like honey bees and butterflies. Green roofs are not a trend, they are here to stay.”
Featured Project
MINI Rooftop | MINI Rooftop is an exclusive event space by MINI for fashion shows, parties, symposiums and even yoga sessions in Manhattans Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The 4,500-square-foot landscaped expanse, designed by the New York-based architectural firm of HWKN, provides visitors with a wealth of amenities for relaxation and creativity including a lounge area and sun deck. Central to the design is an 8-foot grassy hill implanted with plastic dishes that serve as seats for lounging. The design is a contrast between the organic element of the grassy hill and the grid pattern that is imposed over the entire space.