2009 marks the third year of our “Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof Design” – download the Press Release here.  Compiled by our Design Editor, Haven Kiers, and I, we presented the Top 10 List on Friday, June 5, 2009 at the 7th Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards and Trade Show in Atlanta, GA.

Our time slot was changed by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities from 9:30 am to 8:00 am, so if you went by an older Agenda, you missed us!

In 2007, we explored “chic sustainability” and looked at examples of trailblazing and trendsetting greenroof design.  Last year, we turned to greenroof industry professionals for inspiration and guidance and asked them to share their top 10 trends of 2008 with us.  Together we chose “The Influence of LEED on Design Professionals = Pushing the Green Envelope,” “Sky High Cool Green Schools,” and “Eco-Communities & Eco-Cities” for the top three spots.

This year, the projects we have chosen all share a similar concept – the desire to improve their surrounding environment.  The focus of the Top 10 Trends of 2009 is on greenroof design as a means to combat problems in our world of the built environment versus nature, and restore sustainability to the eco-system.

I feel the common element running through all the categories this year is the increasing shift in viewing the building not as a single physical element to be manipulated, but holistically – integrating the site, building envelope, and roof with cultural awareness – creating vegetated surfaces in 3-D and truly linking nature to human design.

Without further ado, the

2009 HOT TRENDS in GREENROOF DESIGN:
Top 10 List

10) Client Specific ‘Boutique’ Greenroofs

9)   Design Competitions: Promoting Future Inspiration

8)   Earth-Sheltering for Sustainable Site Design

7)   Master Plans – Greenroofs in Every Corner

6)   Sustainable Stimulus: Green Buildings Creating Green Collar Jobs

5)   LID Strategies: Celebrating Water with Greenroofs, Rain Gardens, Stormwater Catchment & Beyond

4)   Championing the Green Machine: Policy Driven Ecological Development

3)   Healthy, Efficient & Affordable Green Housing

2)   Sky-High Green Living on the Rise: Condos, Townhomes and Lofts
 
1)   “Towers of Power” – Mega Vertical Structures Linking Earth and Sky

As usual, we included built projects, those on the boards, and several which are stunningly conceptual, like “The Lilypad” by Vincent Callebaut, above and below, designed to make us really push our notion of the possibilities of function and design, and to reprioritize and rethink our global view of our diminishing natural resources.  Actually, The Lilypad is a “Tower of Power” – Mega Vertical Structures Linking Earth, Sky, and Water!

Missed our presentation?  No problem - click on the 2009 PowerPoint here:

You can also view the 2008 and 2007 PowerPoint presentations of the Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof Design, and the papers, too.  We’ll be posting the 2009 paper – with hyperlinks to each project in The Greenroof Projects Database - by the end of the month.

Happy Greening!

~ Linda V.

After a flurry of showers, tornadoes, and even a sprinkling of late snow here in the Atlanta area, leaves are boldly unfurling, flowers are sprouting, and the pollen is flowing.  If you’re also in the northern hemisphere, you’re probably experiencing much of the same.  Spring is in full bloom and Spring greenroof conferences are gearing up across the U.S. and the world!  What better time than the season of rebirth to enjoy visiting new or favorite cities and, of course, taking in the greenroof scenery?

We’ve been busy planning for and helping to promote our two favorite conferences devoted exclusively to the organic architecture of greenroof technology: the 2nd International Green Roof Congress in Stuttgart-Nürtingen, Germany on May 25-27 and the 7th Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards & Trade Show here in Atlanta, GA on June 3-5.  Each is an awesome opportunity to meet and greet with industry experts and greenroof colleagues, old and new.   I’ll be talking about both, starting with the German event.

But first, some quick thoughts on traveling during our trying economic times – people ask me how fiscally responsible is it to spend money now on an international conference – or any conference for that matter, factoring in the expenses plus the cost of missed billing of clients or other income producing work…  Great points, but I see it also as a working vacation, continuing education, an investment in our future.  Referring to traveling, a recent professional acquaintance of mine commented, “Our interest lies in seeing what else is out there, what experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly) other professionals have had, and provide an opportunity to exchange ideas.”  But, she added, it has to make economic sense, and be perceived as a “good value for our money.”  Meaning, I believe, the educational component must be strong and varied.  And I know that both of these conferences offer incredible opportunities through the lectures, workshops, tours, and just plain networking.  The experiential benefits of participating in these interactive events present invaluable hands-on learning through engagement with the actual designers and planners.   If you can swing it, you simply cannot replicate the knowledge obtained and lessons learned in-situ.

This will be our second participation in the International Green Roof Congress, after attending in September, 2004.   Along with many international colleagues we heard from a wide variety of green roof experts, including the late Dr. Dave Beattie,  Prof. Dr. Manfred Köhler, Dr. Nigel Dunnett, Susan K. Weiler, Dr. Franz Alt, and Ho Wan Weng, just to mention a few.

After the success of the first one four years ago, the second Congress is once again organized by the International Green Roof Association (IGRA) under the patronage of the German Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs, Wolfgang Tiefensee, and co-hosted by the German Roof Gardener Association (DDV).  They have numerous national and international supporters, including the Title Sponsor, ZinCo, Premium Sponsor Dow Hyperlast, and Greenroofs.com as the Media Sponsor.  International supporters include ciria, the construction industry research and information association/UK; European Landscape Contractors Association; International Federation of Landscape Architects; and the Internationale Föderation des Dachdeckerhandwerks e.V.  German national supporters include the FLL, among others (see all).

Wolfgang Ansel, the Coordinator, met up with us at last September’s World Green Roof Congress in London, and brought us up to speed with the upcoming Congress and their amazing line-up of world renown experts and practitioners – see his January Guest Feature INTERNATIONAL GREEN ROOF CONGRESS 2009: “Bringing Nature Back to Town.”  They are concentrating on case studies of truly extraordinary global projects, from Copenhagen to London, Zaragoza, Nijmegen, Warsaw, Singapore and Fukuoka, Japan where the ACROS – Asian Cross Roads Over the Sea - designed by Emilio Ambasz, will be highlighted as an example of his philosophy and presentation “The Green over the Grey” – Landscape-cum-Building Designs.

Learning that famed Argentine-born, New York-based Ambasz himself would be presenting on this amazing 100,000 sf green oasis in the middle of the city sealed the deal for me – I’ve been a fan of his since I went back to school at UGA in the late 1990’s, and even selected him once to study as our architect of choice for a group project on green architecture.  And in 2008 when we inaugurated our Greenroofs of the World Calendar series, we selected the ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall for the month of December – the very project I reported on!

Other not-to-be missed speakers include Bernd W. Krupka, famed German landscape architect, “certified expert” and author of technical books on greenroofs – I’m not sure how you get that designation, but I’ll find out!  He’ll talk about “Basic Green Roof Planning – Vegetation Technology;” with his many years of experience in the field, Bernd was very helpful to me a few years ago when I was writing my paper “European Airport Greenroofs – A Potential Model for North America,” (2005).  The always popular British plant expert, Dr. Nigel Dunnett- soft-spoken but with a bite, will present “Plant Selection Criteria for Green Roofs – The Question of Biodiversity,” American restoration ecologist Paul Kephart of Rana Creek fame will lecture on “Ecological Designs with Green Roofs,” and our knowledgeable and charming Brit colleague Dusty Gedge of Livingroofs.org will discuss “Promoting Green Roofs in the UK – The Greater London Authority Campaign.”

And we’ll hear from these distinguished German professionals as well: our colleague Roland Appl, green roof engineer, President of the International Green Roof Association: “Green Roof Technology – Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow;” Rolf Disch, architect known for integrating solar into green building design: “Sustainable Architecture in the 21st century,” another esteemed colleague of ours, Prof. Dr. Manfred Köhler, landscape architect, professor at the University of Applied Science Neubrandenburg, and President of WGRIN: “Energy Savings with Green Roofs,” and Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Gilbert Lösken of Leibniz University of Hanover and Head of the FLL Green Roof Workgroup: “Key Criteria for Creating Green Roof Guidelines.”  Click here to see the complete list of speakers.

The excursions will be the real highlight for Aramis and me – last time we went on the all day ZinCo Green Roof Tour which took us to the Stuttgart region including “Hundertwasserhaus Plochingen” – the Hundertwasser Multi-Family Development, “MAG-Galerien” in Geislingen, Schule Unterensingen, ZinCo International’s Headquarters, and “Römerpark-Museum” in Köngen.   So this time I think we’ll try something different – I think a jaunt to the German solar capital, Freiburg, would be highly informative, or maybe you’ll catch us cruising on the Zeppelin NT over beautiful Lake Constance in Southern Germany on the lookout for greenroofs…

So, will you be going?  Finalize your plans now and hopefully we’ll see you there!

~ Linda V.

Over the years here at Greenroofs.com we have been fortunate to accumulate eight (so far) very different but certainly unique Contributing Editors who are well known and respected throughout the greenroof community.  If you follow us regularly, you know that they all write “occasional” columns, which means whenever they can take time out of their busy schedules (and paying careers, I should add)!  They’re all great people whom we’ve come to highly regard as colleagues and friends and today I’ll be inaugurating the “Meet the Editors” series, starting in order of coming on board, so our readers can get to know them a bit more, too – first up is Ed Snodgrass.

Ed Snodgrass is co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants (along with John Shepley), and co-author of the appropriately titled “Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide,” 2006 from Timber Press, Portland, OR (along with his wife, Lucie L. Snodgrass).  As the first nursery owner in North America to devote 100% of production to growing greenroof plants and having presented on the subject across the world, Ed is considered a leader in our field and definitely the expert on extensive greenroof plant materials.  Basically, Emory Knoll Farms jump started a new business market; they currently stock over 100 varieties of greenroof plants and are always acquiring and testing new plants.  So Ed’s become quite famous – practically a week doesn’t go by where he’s not quoted or interviewed somewhere…but I’m happy to say that none of it has gone to his head – he’s just a regular, laid back kind of guy who’s passionate about what he does for a living.

And Ed is also our very first Contributing Editor here on Greenroofs.com and has been writing the occasional column “Ask Ed” as our Plant Editor since August, 2004.  He answers reader mail, features greenroof plants, and provides highlights of the plant trials and research performed regularly at Emory Knolls Farms (EKF).

I had the pleasure of visiting Emory Knoll Farms last May, 2008 - Lucie prepared a lovely and healthy locally grown lunch for us in their beautiful 1881 farmhouse.  Lucie Snodgrass has been a journalist for years and is very active in D.C. area public policy and lobbying efforts, more recently in promoting local farms, food production and distribution.  Together they live on this wonderful farm, tending to the beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, enhancing the local ecosystem, and taking care of Huckleberry Hound, a few cats, and each other.

After lunch Ed and Lucie showed our group (my husband, Aramis, our intern, Caroline Menetre, Trish Luckett, Tom Liptan, Brad Rowe, Kristin Getter and I) around the sensitively managed large farmlands starting with the two test greenroofs on site – a smaller one over a barn shed, above, and the larger covering the business office, below.  There are other greenroofed surfaces, too, including houses for the kitty’s, small sheds and some very unorthodox yet creative applications (more later).

The test greenroofs hold many varieties of succulents and herbaceous plants including various herbs, bulbs and some grasses, and some modular systems are also monitored on the main test roof alongside the built-in-place living roof – which also sports solar panels.  Along with plant material, EKF tests growing media and several methods of planting including plugs, seeds, and vegetated mats.  Read some of EKF’s trial results here.

Ed offered me the opportunity to see the growing facility from a really cool vantage point, and so I didn’t hesitate and hopped on board this Deere scooper thing (whatever you call this type of farm equipment!). 

I may not know its name, but it went up pretty high and I did take some interesting overhead photos – notice the solar panels above on some of the growing facility offices, and some of our lovely group, below.

Along the fields and nature trails on the property we also visited the testing area for green walls, the old barn, bee hives, and the nearly 10,000 sf of green house space and acres of stock plants.

Ed’s pretty private, so it’s an honor for me to have had him answer some of my questions after our tour:
 
Linda:  Ed, you’re a fifth generation farmer, but you also had another completely different career before returning to the land – can you talk about that and why you felt it was important to return to your roots?
 
Ed:  When I was farming I did so because it was what I knew and what I had grown up doing.  I never thought about it as a career choice, but after it become impossible economically to farm and I had to go and work “in the world” I realized what a touchstone the land was for me and it was always in my mind to try to make something work on the farm again.

 
Linda:  When were you first introduced to living roofs and how did you arrive at the huge conclusion to dedicate EKF operations exclusively to greenroof plants?  In other words, you really went out on a limb back back then – what year was that?  This was when we were just a fledgling community, let alone a new industry.  What made you and your partner decide to make greenroofs the “green” part of the basis for your “black?”
 
Ed:  I don’t remember the exact date, but somewhere around 1998-1999 I became really committed to the idea of starting a nursery.  I was working as a management consultant at the time and doing a lot of traveling. Lucie was also working full time and we both talked about the notion of being self employed.  Right around then, the company I was working for was bought by a bigger company and moved to Tampa.  I wasn’t about to commute to Tampa, so the time seemed right to start something.

Lucie continued to work and I started to build the nursery.  I started by going to farmer’s markets, doing some free lance consulting, some landscaping and anything that would generate a little cash.  I had the first green roof sale in 2000 and John Shepley came as a partner in 2004.  Lucie eased off her full time work and became a freelance writer and did project work in public policy.

Linda:  You carry social responsibility and equitable practices throughout all facets of your life, including running the farm with partner John Shepley.  Would you share your philosophy of EKF’s sustainable operations with us and give us some examples of what you are doing to tread lighter on the land?

Ed:  The redesign of the farm is based around the design protocols of the Natural Step.  It is important to me to tread lightly because I am on a piece of land and have this opportunity because people that came before me didn’t exhaust it as a resource.  One of the first decisions was to not print a paper catalog and subsequently we have heated all our green houses and offices with spent fry oil, we pump all our water for the nursery with solar power, we have a small photovoltaic array, we allow employees to job share and on the land front Lucie and I have planted 9 acres of native trees and are turning over 75 acres into ground bird habitat.  It feels like we are just beginning to get a handle on our stewardship responsibilities.

Linda:  How did you go from llamas to greenroofs?  And what’s the deal – are you really a hippie?  I remember one of your “fans” sent this in a while back:

Dear Ask Ed,
 
The picture of you in a lab coat suggests you are an MD or have a Doctorate in something. Are you? The sign on the wall presents some confusion as Hippies are an untrustworthy, unclean lot. So how do I know you are a legitimate specialist and not some wacko aging hippie grinning outside his meth lab?
 
Signed,
Wanting to trust

Ed:  Check out the song from the group The Bobs: First I Was a Hippie, Then I was a Stockbroker, Now I am a Hippie Again.  I think that song about sums it up.

 
Linda:  You’ve been central to the greenroof movement from the beginning through plant research, development, public speaking, and most recently writing your first book along with Lucie.  What do you enjoy most about your work, and do you see any more book endeavors in the future?

Ed:  I don’t think I have been central to the green roof movement, there are lots of folks that are moving this thing forward.  It takes a village to make a green roof?  I enjoy learning most of all, and I enjoy the people I work with at the farm.  They are bright enthusiastic folks I learn from them every day.  I love watching things grow and looking at the systems that support things that grow.  The people that are in the green roof movement worldwide are great people to converse with and learn from. 

I have two more books on the way, one with Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge and John Little on small do-it-yourself green roofs.  That one is due out in May of 2009.  I am also working on another book, it’s going to be on green roof design, install and maintain, mostly from the plant perspective.  I have a new co-author, Linda McIntyre who was a staff writer and editor for Landscape Architecture Magazine and did all their green roof articles over the last few years.  We hope to help fill the knowledge gap that exists in the market today.  That book is due out in early 2010, both are from Timber Press.
 
Linda:  Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants has supplied over 2,489,238 sf or 221,251 M2 of greenroofs so far across North America – is there one particular project which is your favorite, or maybe particularly important in your eyes?

Ed:  I do like the one in Fells Point in Baltimore.  It is on the Mikulski Workforce Development Center at Living Classrooms.  Lucie and I are big fans of Senator Mikulski and Living Classrooms and their work, and it is a green roof that you can see from the ground, which is kind of rare.

And I do like the ones I have at the farm because I get to see them everyday, especially my barn roof which I see every morning from the bedroom window.  Gardens change every day and I love watching the change.

Linda:  What issues do you feel are important within our industry, and where do you see us heading in the next few years?  What would you like to see changed or addressed?

Ed:  I think the public policy side of the industry has to come into focus and be more uniform and that will require more quantifiable benefits derived from the research community.  I see that coming in the next few years.  I think design intent will become sharper as that happens and green roof terminology may become more precise.  I would like to see green roofs become more integrated with other green technologies like vegetated swales, rain gardens and water harvesting.
 
Linda:  I think you’re a consummate professional, a trailblazer, and all around nice guy.  But if there was one thing that you’d like people to know about you or how you see the world, what would that be?

Ed:  That is nice of you to say, but we are only as strong as the people around us.  I think the world is getting smaller and faster; we need to think of all the people, plants and animals as part of ourselves if we are going to make truly lasting gardens.

You may have realized that Ed and company have quite a sense of humor.  Not all is hard work on Emory Knoll Farms – check out some of the lighter research going on here…greenroofs?  I don’t know – maybe green topped.  For example, remember the previous incarnation as a llama farm?  Well, they put some bones to rest in an unlikely spot – talk about recycle, reuse!

And although the EKF office has a composting toilet, the photo below shows Tom Liptan (who works, appropriately, for a Bureau of Environmental Services) displaying one of Emory Knoll Farms’ even greener environmental options: the Sedum Toilet – “storm” water management at its best!

In case you’re interested in seeing Ed in public, here are some of his upcoming speaking engagements:

Sunday, March 15, 2009  Alexandria VA:  Harry Allen Winter Lecture Series, Green Spring Gardens

Wednesday, May 6, 2009  Bel Air MD:  Leadership Group, Harford Leadership Academy

Thursday, June 18, 2009  Denver CO:  Green Roofs for the West Symposium, Denver Botanic Gardens

Sunday, July 12, 2009  Portland OR:  APLD Conference, APLD

So thanks, Ed, for sharing some personal thoughts with us.  Among all the other things that you do, we know you’re a writer – but how about a blogger?  We haven’t read anything from you yet here, but this could be a new horizon for you…  Should our readers expect to hear from you on Sky Gardens sometime in the future?

We’ll see… Until then, send him your Plant and Horticulture questions to:

PlantEditor@Greenroofs.com or Ed.Snodgrass@greenroofplants.com. 

Next up in “Meet the Editors” is Christine Thüring, ecologist, researcher, world trekker, and currently our Student Editor (among other personas).

Happy Greening,

~ Linda V.

Well folks, it’s that time of year again.  Linda and I have been burning the midnight oil trying to finalize this year’s Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof Design, and we’re looking for input from you, our faithful Greenroofs.com readers.

Have you seen any outstanding green roof projects this year or in the past few years?  Is there anything that stands out in terms of great design?  Did you design a greenroof that you think needs a little extra recognition?  We’re searching for all types of greenroofs – sleek and modern, esoteric, big or small, built or proposed.

Did you read my January Chic Sustainability Column, “A Look Back at the 2008 Top 10 Hot Trends in Greenroof Design Survey?”  To refresh your memory, last year we singled out the following 10 greenroof trends:

10) Client Specific ‘Boutique’ Greenroofs
9) PreFab Modular Homes are Fabulous
8) Greenroofs as Art & Architecture
7) Parks & Interpretive Greenroof Spaces
6) Solar & Vegetative Roofs as High Performance Buildings
5) Greenroofs for Biodiversity
4) Institutional & Office Parks – Setting the Example
3) Eco-Communities & Eco-Cities
2) Sky High Cool Green Schools
1) The Influence of LEED on Design Professionals = Pushing the Green Envelope

And this is our “working” Top 10 List for 2009:

10) Unique Driving Factors/Boutique Greenroofs: “Mother Nature Meets Lady Luck” – Greenroof Casinos; Living Billboards, and more!
9) “Ecological” Gas Stations?
8) Heavenly Gardens – Religious Institutions Embracing Living Design
7) Design Competitions Promoting Future Inspiration
6) Green Buildings Creating Green Collar Jobs & Spurring the Industry
5) LID (Low Impact Development) Strategies: Celebrating Water with Greenroofs, Rain Gardens & Green Streets
4) Technological Advances – Faster, Cheaper, & Better Materials
3) The “Green Factor” – Policy Driving Ecological Development
2) Mayoral Initiatives – Championing the Green Machine
1)”Towers of Power” – Mega Vertical Structures Linking Earth and Sky

What do you think?  Have you noticed any new greenroof trends this year?  What are the forces driving new projects?  Has the economy had an effect on the number or type of greenroofs being built?  What role has the new Obama administration had on greenroof projects?

Send your suggestions, thoughts, website links, and photos by March 18th to the following email address:

designeditor@greenroofs.com

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Haven

I’m on the NYC Tax Abatement e-mail list, and this is what Carter H. Strickland, Jr., Senior Policy Advisor for Air and Water in the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, just sent out to advise everyone planning on applying for a tax abatement for either a greenroof or solar system:

Dear green roof stakeholder:

Given the tight time frame we are facing with processing the new green roof tax abatements for this year, the Department of Buildings is trying to streamline the process for processing those applications.  Any solar installers or buildings owners who have a project that they think qualifies for an abatement this year (therefore needing to start the process by March 16, 2009 per the law) should immediately contact Bonnie Gerard (212-442-1239 or bgerard@buildings.nyc.gov) as soon as possible.  DOB is finalizing the checklist and application forms for the abatement and we will distribute them to you as soon as we receive the finalized version (Bonnie will also be able to give them to you once they are finalized).

Please forward this email to anyone else you think could have green roof projects that are eligible for an abatement this year. Thank you.”

This follows the DOB hearing held yesterday, March 3, 2009, regarding implementing the draft regulations relating to the installation of green roofs for a tax abatement (which was open to public comment), approved by the state of New York in June of 2008. 

Since the statute requires that applications have to be filed by March 15 every year (a Sunday in 2009, so it extends to the following day, March 16), NYC is trying to get a sense of the number of applications that they can expect.   Obviously, New York City’s Department of Buildings needs to know immediately on prospective applications, so if you’re building a greenroof this year, take note!

~ Linda V.

Of related interest (found in Greenroofs 101 > Industry Support > U.S. ):

August 8, 2008:  GOVERNOR PATERSON SIGNS LAWS TO HELP SPUR INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLE ENERGY – The A.11226 Diaz R/S.7553 Lanza bill was signed by New York State Governor Paterson and deals with the tax abatement for renewable energy, providing a tax abatement for construction of green roofs in New York City.  Read the Press Release from New York State.

June 24, 2008:  Building owners in New York City who install green rooftops will now receive a significant tax credit under a bill (A.11226) sponsored by Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. that passed the state legislature on June 24, 2008.

Under this law, building owners in New York City who install green roofs on at least 50 percent of available rooftop space can apply for a one-year property tax credit of up to $100,000. The credit would be equal to $4.50 per square-foot of roof area that is planted with vegetation, or approximately 25 percent of the typical costs associated with the materials, labor, installation and design of the green roof. Read the Press Release from Sustainable South Bronx.

Like the majority of our readers/ visitors, I am constantly on the look-out for green roofs. Extensive, intensive, moss-covered, or grass-filled eaves… Every green roof is, for me, a signal of Mother Nature’s pulse. A sign that she hasn’t abandoned us entirely, and will slowly, subtly, reclame our denuded constructions with autotrophic (i.e. self-feeding, from the sun’s energy…) Life.

I recently moved back to Austria, one of the several German-speaking lands of milk and honey. Further to my beloved cheese- and chocolate-dominated diet, this analogy also extends to the fact that I’m now living in the Motherland of extensive green roof technology. Whether driving along the Autobahn, hiking at 2500 m above sea level, or going to work, my hungry eyes are constantly satiated with the sight of green roofs.

Here’s the funny thing, though. When I lived in Reutte in the autumn/ winter of 2005, virtually all the conversations I had with locals about green roofs were met with confusion, curiosity and disbelief:

“Why would you put plants on the roof?” “Never heard of such a thing..” “They may be big in Germany, but green roofs don’t exist around here..” “Green roofs wouldn’t work here, we get too much snow.” It reminded me presenting the concept of vegetated roofs to someone who’d never heard of it before in North America.. except I’m in Austria, a progressive member of the EU.

Granted, I’m not in Linz, which has been implementing green roof policy and incentives since 1989. I’m 600 km west, in a Tyrolean Alpine village that is covered by snow for 6 months of the year. Deep and persistent snow cover plays an important role to the cultural psyche of this region. World-class skiers grow up here. As far as the locals with which I’ve spoken are concerned, green roofs may exist in Linz or Munich, but they don’t fit in here.

What’s so funny, then? Well, when I returned to the area this past July, my eyes were repeatedly surprised by green roof after green roof. They are, in fact, EVERYWHERE here! Just as I have been pleasantly surprised, many of the locals (who had no idea about green roofs before) now report that they’re seeing green roofs everywhere too.. they’d just never noticed them before.

The experience has been not unlike that familiar experience from back home, of witnessing the lightbulb going on above a newly introduced’s head. The only difference is that here, the green roofs are HERE yet few people notice them (or thought much about them if they had). In some of the cases (see photos), it is hard to imagine how someone could miss them!

Catholic church in Reutte with green roof walkway