If you’re a subscriber to our eNewsletter, then you already know a bit about the International Skyrise Greenery Conference (ISGC) in lovely Singapore.

Oranized by CUGE, a project of the National Parks Board of Singapore, and the International Green Roof Association (IGRA), the conference will be held at the National Library from November 1-3, 2010 and will bring together hundreds of participants from around the world.  The theme of the 3-day international conference is “Surfaces of Creativity: Spaces of Delight” and will focus on the latest technological developments and new areas of application in the field of green roofs and vertical greenery.  An international exhibition offering the latest skyrise greenery-related products and services in the market will be held concurrently with the conference.

Singapore is an island nation brimming with diversity and has a multiplicity of culture, language, arts and architecture – plus lush, tropical greenery with an impressive track record of progressive roof and wall greening!  Who can forget the stunning School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University, below?

Come learn from international experts, including these stellar Keynote Speakers:

Emilio Ambasz of Emilio Ambasz & Associates; Patrick Blanc of the French National Centre for Scientific Research; Prof. Dr. Manfred Köhler of the University Neubrandenburg; and Dr. Ken Yeang of Llewelyn Davies Yeang

Take part in the ISGC’s all day tour featuring exclusive access to these six important, exciting projects:

Sky Park at Marina Bay Sands; Public housing carpark rooftop greenery innovation at Toa Payoh; Pinnacle@Duxton; The Orchard Residences; Gardens by the Bay and Marina Barrage.

“Learn firsthand from the site architects about the challenges of building a 200m high sky park, be inspired by the ingenuity of developing a low cost patented skyrise greening system that requires minimal maintenance, and more!” ~ ISGC

To see the complete line-up of speakers, register, and learn more, visit the International Skyrise Greenery Conference website.  By the way, the fees are listed in SGD, not USD – use this Currency Converter for your particular currency.

One very important date to remember is August 27, which is the deadline for the Early Bird Discount!  In today’s challenging economy it’s great to have the opportunity to save money wherever we can, so I encourage you to register soon (go for the package deal!).

Hopefully we’ll see you there – I’ll be presenting the Greenroofs.com 2010 Top 10 List of Hot Greenroof & Greenwall Trends by Haven Kiers and myself.  Aramis and I have never been to Singapore, and are really looking forward to seeing some awesome roof and vertical greenery, as well as the beautiful sights and the island’s rich historical heritage.

Singapore’s unique offerings place it in a class of its own and the International Skyrise Greenery Conference’s many educational, professional and networking activities will ensure that you (and perhaps your family?) have an enjoyable conference and holiday.

~ Linda V.

Plans were recently approved for the vegetation-clad Palazzo Park Hotel & Residences, the first luxury beachfront hotel and condominium resort in Costa Rica to be built with the latest green building techniques, including the country’s largest greenroof at 40,000 square feet.

Designing the luxury development in Manuel Antonio, one of the world’s premier eco tourism destinations, is Arqueco Ltda., an environmentally-aware Costa Rican architectural and engineering firm.  Incorporating LEED-certified materials, construction plans include building techniques and technologies aimed at creating a human habitat with negative carbon footprint.  A key component of Palazzo Park is Costa Rica’s first large-scale living roof, proposed by project developer KC Development Group.

The project team announced its alliance with the Eco Preservation Society, Palazzo Park Eco Action, to renew and preserve land adjacent to Manuel Antonio Park.  More than 500 acres of land at Playa El Rey adjoins the Park, which will expand the habitat for the endangered, but peaceful and playful, Mono Titi squirrel monkey.

What’s very cool is that a portion of each sale at Palazzo Park will fund the Eco Action Program!

“Palazzo Park has made a truly revolutionary commitment to habitat restoration with the Palazzo Park Eco Action Program. We are unaware of any similar programs associated with a major resort and residence developments anywhere in the world. This program integrates our efforts to save endangered species with guests and residents who will be continuously connected to the researchers, conservationists and other like-minded individuals.  It’s truly a groundbreaking effort.” ~ Kevin Peterson, Eco Preservation Society

An open-air common area with vistas of the rainforest and the sea, Palazzo Park’s greenroof will provide over 40,000 square feet of native vegetation designed specifically as habitat for indigenous species.
 

“Each unit will sponsor a portion of land and oversee its reforestation and preservation. It is a great opportunity for owners to get involved in a way that they can actually see things happening for a great cause for years to come.” ~ Carlton Solle, The Costa Rica Real Estate Company and Coldwell Banker

Fabled Costa Rican hospitality, cool ocean breezes, lush plantings, spectacular views, and helping to preserve native forests and monkeys - now that’s guilt-free living!

For more info, see the Press Release and visit http://www.palazzopark.com/, www.ecopreservationsociety.org, www.kcdevelopmentgrp.com and www.arqueco.co.cr.

Pura Vida!  ~ Linda V.

Boston GreenFest 2010 is next week, running from August 19 – 21, and we just wanted to make you aware of the latest dates, features, and opportunities.  Did you read our earlier July Guest Feature about it from Demetria Spinrad, intern at one of the promoters, Foundation for a Green Future, Inc.?  It’ll give you more background info – see:  Green Roofs at Boston GreenFest 2010.

Interested in sponsoring and exhibiting?  There are still a few slots open for exhibitors in some EcoNiches.  Call 617-477-4840 to find out whether your nonprofit or business could be a part of this year’s festival.  Find more information about sponsoring and exhibiting on their website.  Hurry – the deadline for signing up as an exhibitor is Friday, August 13th!

One new cool, sustainable feature this year is that instead of providing bottled water, they will have a fresh water fountain provided by the MWRA – Massachusetts Water Resources Authority – so bring a reusable container for water.

“We hope you’ll stop by Boston City Hall Plaza to take part in our region’s largest multicultural environmental festival. With three days of performances, hundreds of exhibitors and vendors, dozens of fashion shows, a green jobs forum, and activities for children and adults, Boston GreenFest will definitely have something for everyone.” ~ Dr. Karen L. Weber, organizer

Here’s the quick of it:

Thursday, August 19, 2010:       10 AM to 4:30 PM   Green Jobs Forum
                                                 5 PM to 10 PM    Kick-Off Concert
Friday, August 20, 2010:            10 AM to 10 PM   (Exhibits 10 AM to 6 PM)
Saturday, August 21, 2010:       10 AM to 10 PM   (Exhibits 10 AM to 4 PM)

Tickets go on sale at 5 pm on Thursday, August 19 at Boston City Hall, the Main Stage.

Major Features:

- Native American Drum & Dance Ceremony
- Green Jobs Forum
- Gubernatorial Green Debate
- Over 200 Exhibitors
- 75+ Live Performances
- The Great Escape with Alexanderia!
- EcoCafé, EcoGallery, EcoBazaar
- GreenFilmFest
- EcoFashion and Salsa EcoFashion Show
- One Gallon Challenge
- GreenFest Time Tunnel
- EcoPhoto Contest for Boston Public Schools
- Fun for Kids!

They’re also holding a Gubernatorial Green Debate on Saturday, August 21 at 4 pm.  Come talk to the candidates – there will be plenty of space with 20,000 seats!

Try your luck with their 50/50 Raffle, and see the Performance Schedule for the events, activities and times. Visit the Boston GreenFest website for directions and more info.  Oh, yeah, did I mention it was FREE?

Enjoy ~ Linda V.

At the beginning of June I had the opportunity to tour the beautiful home at 901 Moreland Avenue, or Eden House, as it’s also known, here in Atlanta.

The invitation-only “Friends Fusion” Open House was attended by over 100 people eager to see the environmentally friendly home.  The clean lines, airy design, and careful selection of materials and textures gives this contemporary home a luxurious feel without being fussy.  And while it has many green features, the most striking is the living roof!

Designed by David Butler, LEED AP, of David Butler & Associates, Inc. and developed by Eastworks LLC, the Gold LEED for Homes certified, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath is just one year old.  In addition to its LEED status, 901 Moreland Avenue has a number of other green credentials such as the Earthcraft® certification and HERS (Home Energy Rating System) – a program of the EPA’s Energy Star for Homes which includes being Energy Star® Indoor Air Quality Package Certified and having Energy Star® and Watersense Appliances®.  What it all boils down to is the home was built responsibly, to save energy and water and promote superior indoor air quality.

The corner site allows for great visibility for many of the exterior sustainable features:  The 1,500 extensive greenroof wraps almost completely around the four sides and draws a lot of looks from passersby.  The eight rain barrels are used as a gravity rain water harvesting and irrigation system, and two are located on the second story roof for direct irrigation of the greenroof. 

An interesting feature is that two of the rain barrels are connected by rain chains instead of the usual downspouts, which creates a lively interplay of the water as it descends.

Passive cooling is accomplished through a solar thermal canopy, which is also visible from the main street.  A convenient ramp way provides accessibility and in fact the entire first floor is wheelchair accessible.  The interior is urban chic smart, yet very cozy in a uber-hip way and Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) were specified throughout.

For example, the bamboo flooring is stunning, they only used no or low VOC paint, and the well-designed small kitchen has reclaimed concrete countertops and a snazzy recycled glass mosaic backsplash.

And David designed the house to really take advantage of natural light and ventilation – there are several skylights and a wide breezeway connects to the separate third bedroom (or other flexible space), bathroom and garage.
 

The two bedrooms on the upper floor benefit from the cross ventilation positioning of the windows, and you can see how the living roof is visible from many angles upstairs.  The windows frame it beautifully ~ how wonderful to wake up to such greenery at eye level, but on the second floor!

The festive Open House event was well put together and although the main purpose was to showcase its many features (and offer it for sale), the organizers also celebrated the project’s recent LEED Gold certification by raising over $500 for Prevent Child Abuse Georgia with a raffle.  Some of the big prizes included a solar thermal panel and frame and a water conserving Kohler toilet.

The film by Landon Donoho, “Sky Gardens Atlanta,” (I was a producer) was premiered and guests got to see David Butler being interviewed here last October by Landon when the green-minded architect shared his experiences building this gorgeous, modern, single family dwelling.

The event was actually sponsored by many of the companies providing services and products, and they all set up shop in the bright, walkout basement.  This team of specialists reported a brisk evening sharing green building techniques and product information with the inquisitive guests.

Greenroof-related sponsors included JDR Enterprises, Inc., who supplied J-DRain drainage products; ERTH Products, who supplied the growing media; and T+E Design, Inc., who provided landscape architecture services. As usual, it was great to see Janet Faust, LEED AP, GRP of JDR and it was very nice to meet Thomas Nichols, RLA, of both ERTH Products and T+E Design, Inc.  Others present were Gutter Water, LLC, rain water recovery system; CORT, Peachtree Home Staging; Woodman Insulation; Hardwoods Incorporated; PlumbWorksInc.; and Muffley & Associates, real estate solutions.

It’s wonderful to see architects and developers are taking (calculated) risks by taking on green construction, and I highly commend David Butler and Eastworks LLC for their innovation, commitment, and leadership with Eden House’s lovely architecture and healthy living environment!  Hopefully we’ll see more sustainable development projects from this company soon.  For more info, please contact Nicholas Brown of Muffley & Associates at: 404.848.0996 or David Butler at: 404.589.0800.

Read more about the project in The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database here, and if you’re in the market for a sleek 1,986 sf home in a bustling Atlanta location, want dramatically lower utility bills, less maintenance, better use of the sun, a healthier living environment and fewer adverse impacts on the environment, this could be your new home!

Happy greening,

~ Linda V.

Have you seen HGTV’s first season of “The Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie” yet?  It’s really good!  Now based in Los Angeles, Jamie’s an extremely talented, and well-travelled, landscape artist from Down Under and he brings his international wanderings as the basis for his popular, eclectic designs.

Lackluster outdoor spaces are transformed from dysfunctional and boring to flowing and fantastic.  Homeowners share their woes and desires, and host Jamie draws upon a variety of elements for his metamorphoses – previous experiences with the rich and famous; visiting local designers, horticulturalists and gardeners; and referencing both native and exotic landscapes as well as architecturally designed sites.  The result is always a unique outdoor room, or series of rooms, infused with Jamie’s world view on design aesthetics.

A few weeks ago I saw Episode #HORJD-107H called “The Edible Garden” about transforming a quirky, uneven family backyard into an eco-retreat full of ornamental vegetable gardening options plus a variety of adult and children spaces for play and rest.  And what caught my eye was the top-to-bottom living gazebo!

Since the young eco-conscious family of four from Echo Park, CA, enjoys growing their own organic food and already had several productive but awkward raised beds of their own, Jamie wanted the same features, just with different sensibilities.  After saving some of the existing plants, he visited John, a local “edible garden” designer who incorporates A-frames into his creations for his take on structural elements and planting beds.  Jamie also interviewed Miguel Nelson of The SmogShoppe - a former Los Angeles gas emissions station/auto repair shop turned hip eco-event space with 2,000 sf of amazing green walls.

What a cool space!  First of all it’s pending LEED Platinum certification, and the exterior and interior walls are completely covered in lush vegetation, grown in modular “Woolly Pockets.”  I was unfamiliar with this particular system which is made from felt and recycled plastic bottles.
 

Not part of the show, but interesting on its own, I found out that in addition to his commercial enterprise, Miguel started “Woolly School Gardens.”  Through the program, inexpensive gardens are planted at local schools to help teach nutrition and gardening to students K-12.  They say they’re ideal for urban schools as the Woolly Pockets planting system allows them to be created anywhere – from a concrete wall to a chain link fence.  There are numerous Woolly School Gardens in the Los Angeles area and the goal is to have 11,000 by 2011.  For more information, visit www.woollyschoolgarden.org.

Back to the HGTV episode, with the SmogShoppe as his inspiration, Jamie and crew built the open-air structure leaving one expansive wall open.  The living lounge area was easily blanketed on the remaining three sides with Woolly Pockets.  Luscious, edible plants were inserted and it was done.  By the way, these vegetated walls are called “Wallys,” seen below.  Although Jamie doesn’t even mention the greenroof (time editing restrictions?), I checked with the company and half of the roof, indeed, is covered with their modular greenroof system called “Meadows.”

The outdoor structure performs beautifully with double duty as a cool relaxation get away and stunning, productive area for vertical “pocket” gardening.  In the end, the family gets to enjoy their newly redesigned, sustainable back yard while setting a great example for ecologically sensitive living for their kids, who also get to learn about natural composting with an earthy gift from Jamie – a squiggly worm farm!

The full episode used to be online at HGTV, but now you can see the partial episode here, and below from YouTube (the HGTV embedded code isn’t working):

This Edible Garden is well worth watching if you have the chance to catch it with reruns.  Each episode of “The Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie” is brimming with equal parts elegant innovation and international flair, and I’m sure this is just the beginning of educating homeowners and entertaining their audience with examples of these living, touchy, sometimes even woolly, vertical gardening techniques.

~ Linda V.

Green architecture is really hot right now and after about a decade and a half’s worth of exploring the ecology of organic greenroof architecture in North America, greenwalls are the newest darlings in the green building world here and abroad.

More than just “green bling,” as one proponent told me recently, greenwalls add many benefits on their own to a building envelope.  While creating a lush and deliciously tactile tapestry of living plants, they offer a showy feast for the eyes that are much more visually accessible than many of their roofing counterparts.

I was asked to present on the subject last November for a local Atlanta USGBC group by Julia Gray Hines, ASID, RID, LEED AP ID+C of Chartreuse Inc. Interior Design Studio, and of course I propsed our Green Wall Editor, George Irwin, too.  Julia suggested Atlanta City Hall as a possible location, and I knew it was perfect because of their beautiful greenroof and the willingness of its resident (and entertaining) landscape architect and greenroof guru, Bill Brigham, ASLA, to share his experiences.

Learn about early influential designers such as the ground-breaking Austrian painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, and more recent innovator French botanist Patric Blanc and his Le Mur Vegetal, seen above left at the Musée du Quai Branly, and see how designers are pushing the limits in my compilation of the Top Hot Trends in International Greenroof and Greenwall Design.  I’ll also provide a sneak preview of the Greenroofs.com Top 10 List for 2010 (which I’ll present along with our Design Editor, Haven Kiers, in Vancouver, B.C. at the upcoming 8th Annual CitiesAlive! Conference later this year).

Understand the differences between green façades and living walls from George Irwin, the many new systems available today - along with options for growing media (including none at all!) - as well as the new and exciting economic and social benefits and opportunities for urban vertical farming.

Presented on Thursday, July 22, 2010 by the USGBC Atlanta Events & Education Committee, you’ll receive 1.5 LEED Credential Maintenance Units offered, and the cost is an extremely affordable $10 for members and $20 for non-members!

Registration is open from 3:30-4:30 pm at Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue SW Atlanta, GA 30303, on the fifth floor Cafeteria where Bill will be on hand to show off the Atlanta City Hall Pilot Greenroof, the first public municipal non-irrigated vegetated roof, and then George and I will speak from 4:30 to 6:00 pm.

Come join us next week for the USGBC Georgia Chapter ”Green Walls, Red Tomatoes and Urban Farming,” a fun and informative afternoon on the surging proliferation of these architecturally important, and sexy, planted façades!  For more info, download the PDF here.

See you ~ Linda V.

Kate Zidar, from the Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (S.W.I.M.) Coalition in New York City, is asking for feedback regarding obtaining the current greenroof tax credit in NYC.  S.W.I.M. is a coalition dedicated to “ensuring swimmable waters around New York City through natural, sustainable stormwater management practices in our neighborhoods. This approach is environmentally and fiscally responsible because it utilizes stormwater, currently viewed as waste, as a resource.”

S.W.I.M. supported the initial legislation that created the NYC green roof tax credit and by collecting feedback on the process, they hope to evaluate its effectiveness and improve future results for those who either attained or attempted to attain this noteworthy credit.

“We hope that our friends and members in green roof-related professions who have experience with the tax credit will spend a few minutes answering these questions.” ~ Kate Zidar

She assures us it’s very short and sweet (there’s all of nine questions), and that all of our feedback is invaluable.  Take the “NYC Green Roof Tax Credit…did it work for you?” survey available on SurveyMonkey here and send any commentary to Kate at: swimmablenyc@gmail.com.

~Linda V.

The City of Toronto has many great greening initiatives going for it, including their groundbreaking Green Roof Bylaw put into effect in May of 2009.  In fact, they were one of the first municipalities in North America – if not the first – to install a test/research greenroof in 2000:  The Toronto City Hall Green Roof Demonstration Project.  Now obsolete/defunct, we’ve kept the original profile up in The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database for research and archive purposes (but it’s not included in the total project or sf/m2 numbers).

Why is it obsolete?  In 2009 the City of Toronto started the much larger Nathan Phillips Square Podium Green Roof, which encompasses the public square surrounding Toronto City Hall.  Completed in late May, the grand opening of the brand new 36,500 sf Nathan Phillips Square Podium Green Roof was held on May 29 and May 30, 2010 to coincide with Doors Open Toronto 2010, the yearly architectural open house of interesting and important buildings across the city.

Kees Govers of LiveRoof Ontario Inc. supplied the modular LiveRoof system, and shares some photos of the opening day celebration of the Nathan Phillips Square Podium Green Roof “in all its glory” from May 29:

Kees says that Greenroof Designer/Contractor Terry McGlade of Flynn Canada Ltd, Gardens in the Sky, considers this the best greenroof his company has ever installed! 

“I must say that this project is by far the most outstanding that our company has done to date- both from a beauty perspective and an end use.  And because we were the general contractor and the green roof installer we were able to have input on the quality of workmanship.” ~ Terry McGlade

From all accounts, similar sentiments were felt from the David Miller, Mayor of Toronto, Joe Pantalone, the Deputy Mayor, and their staff.  Green Roofs for Healthy Cities‘ Steven Peck was also on hand, seen below left with Kees in the middle and Terry McGlade, right:

“This project was more than 12 years in the making.  It’s not everyday a city gets a new park in the downtown.” ~ Steven Peck

According to the City of Toronto tally, 22,000 people visited the Nathan Phillips Square Podium Green Roof during Doors Open Toronto this year.  Aramis and I saw it under construction from our hotel room in late October of last year, when we attended the CitiesAlive! World Green Roof Congress, photo left from my blog post.

Read the in-depth coverage in the Daily Commercial News’ “Building Toronto city hall green roof posed host of challenges” by Saul Chernos of June 25, 2010; Globe and Mail’s “An oasis at the top of City Hall” by Lisa Rochon of May 31, 2010, and see more photos and learn more about this lovely municipal living roofspace in The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database here.

Patrick Biller, Green Roof Maintenance & Installation with Flynn Canada, Gardens in the Sky, sent us the following two recent photos of the Nathan Phillips Square Podium Green Roof (when he was working on the project):

If you have any updated info and/or photos, please send them!

Happy Greening ~ Linda V.

Matt Burlin tells us that Portland, Oregon’s Pedalpalooza is coming up very soon, and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services is taking part this year with an Ecoroof Bike Tour.  The tour will take place on this Saturday, June 19th, from 10 am – 1 pm and includes viewings of North and Northeast Portland residential ecoroofs.

Space is limited, and in fact is almost full!  Please RSVP to BESEcoroof@portlandoregon.gov, and you’ll receive confirmation via email.  You can also reserve via phone by calling 503.823.7914.

Make sure to stay up to date with Portland, OR, ecoroof hapennings at their Ecoroof Blog on the Portland Online website – there are lots of new project reports, photos, and related articles getting posted every week.

Happy pedaling and greenroof sightseeing!

~ Linda V.

On Saturday, May 22, 2010 we believe history was made in downtown ATL when Bill Brigham and Beate Allio took their wedding vows.  A traditional affair with silk and lace, ribbons, flowers, and lovely music, this was still no ordinary wedding ceremony ~ we’ve all heard about going down to City Hall to get hitched, but our bride and groom were married in front of about 50 family and friends high above the city street on the Atlanta City Hall Pilot Greenroof!

We’re sure it was the first wedding on the Atlanta City Hall Greenroof, and believe it was the first on an ATL living roof, maybe the southeast or even the  U.S. – if you know better, please let us know and we’ll blog about it, too.  But until then, Bill and Beate will claim the title.

I’ve known Bill Brigham, ASLA, Principal Landscape Architect/Project Manager, Bureau of Watershed Protection, Department of Watershed Management, City of Atlanta since 2001 when I was involved in the initial planning sessions for the greenroof on the Atlanta City Hall, back when then Environmental Manager Ben Taube and team were considering the old Atlanta City Hall East…  Bill eventually designed the greenroof on the new City Hall at 55 Trinity Avenue, and we’ve attended many meetings and conferences together, were on the Atlanta Local Host Committee for last year’s Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, plus we filmed him here last October (see Rooftop Hopping in Metro Atlanta, photo below), and anyone who knows Bill is immediately impressed by his extreme good nature and sense of humor (landscape architecture skills not withstanding!).Due to weight and space limitations, the guest list was very selective, so Aramis and I felt honored to have been included in the couple’s special day.  A second marriage for both, it was very touching to see the blended family together.  Bill’s son, Roland, was the Best Man, and Beate’s daughter, Nicole, was the Maid of Honor.  The bride’s two sons, Chris and Devon, were Groomsmen and both the Mother of the Bride, Mrs. Renate Freter, and the Mother of the Groom, Mrs. Charlotte Larsen, were part of the wedding party.

Scott Lubar was the Officiant uniting the couple, and we all enjoyed Bill Grabbe, the pianist, and Carol Smart, the soloist with their delightful music and voice.

The colorful, intimate setting was perfect for a man so instrumental in the design, ongoing research and maintenance of the greenroof, and fitting for a woman who was introduced to the future groom by Lucy Smethurst, a conservationist, plantswoman, artist, and neighbor of Saul Nurseries‘ “Swamp” location.  Bobby Saul donated all the plants for the project in 2001 along with the greenroof growing media from Ernie Higgins of ItSaul Natural – Mr. Natural (both in attendance), and Bobby had afterwards introduced Bill to Lucy, and then Lucy introduced the bride and groom!  So you could say greenroofs and kismet played a part in the couple’s future.

“Plant love.  Leave no waste.”

That could have been the motto of the wedding.  The invitation was printed on 100% post consumer waste, on seeded, plantable paper – all we have to do now is plant the invitation in a sunny corner and keep it moist, and we’ll have a mini wildflower field to remind us of the balmy late spring day.

And wait, it gets better!  Instead of throwing rice or bird seed during the recessional -Bill had said, “Heaven forbid!”  The couple opted for a safer alternative, both environmentally conscious and beneficial:

“We will be using the green rice look-a-like… sedum leaflets stripped from the sedum species already being used up on the existing roof.  (Another one of my crazy ideas.)  This way it keeps any “invasive” plant species from destroying the roof and will instead act as a “re-seed” to the existing roof’s sedums.” ~ Bill Brigham 

Regeneration at its best with pretty sedum packets after the expression of vows, exchange of rings and announcement of marriage!  The reception followed at Lucy Smethurst’s estate, which is nestled in a beautiful natural wooded area with naturalistic plantings, trails and artist gallery.

Thanks to Bruce Morton of Exposure Media Photo for sharing his photos with Greenroofs.com (which are available for purchase). 

Congratulations to Bill and Beate and the new Brigham-Allio family!  Perhaps this will be just the first of many more greenroof weddings to come at Atlanta City Hall.

~ Linda V.