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August
2010
guest
feature article
Green Roofs for a
Changing Climate -
The 2nd
London World Green Roof Congress
By Dusty Gedge,
Director, Livingroofs.org
President, European Federation of Green Roof Associations
All photos
courtesy Dusty Gedge and CIRIA
Between
15 – 16 September 2010, the renowned World Green Roof Congress
makes its return to the London stage. Hosted by
CIRIA and
Livingroofs.org, the event is supported by the Mayor of
London, providing a unique platform for delegates to share
information on green roofs’ performance, benefits and delivery.
The Congress will also demonstrate how green roofs and green
walls can contribute to sustainability, climate change
adaptation, green infrastructure and ecosystem services whilst
allowing you to find out about the latest policy initiatives
driving their uptake.
The two day Congress programme will have a distinctively
interactive style, providing practical expertise in the form of
presentations, networking opportunities, exhibitions and
workshops, as well as the opportunity to take in a real green
roof, at the offices of Allen & Overy LLP, boasting exceptional
views over London.
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The 10th floor green roof terraces of the
Allen & Overy LLP offices, Central London.
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42 papers | 9
keynote addresses | Speakers from 20 countries
10 networking opportunities | 1 Congress – 2 days
The programme
Day one will include a practical overview of green roofs,
demonstrating their application and showcasing the benefits.
There will be a series of inspiring keynote presentations
highlighting delivery and achievements, both in the UK and
overseas.
Day two will allow delegates to share international experiences
on the delivery of green roofs, their multi-functional benefits
as well as the life cycle of implementing green roofs. The
Congress will highlight the latest innovations and research to
support the effective delivery of green roofs within the context
of green infrastructure.
Papers
The papers will loosely focus on the areas of policy and
delivery, vegetation, plants and performance, benefits of green
roofs, going into more in-depth analysis of areas such as water
management, biodiversity, delivering green roofs
internationally, urban greening, developing substrates and
substrate characteristics, plants, thermal performance, green
walls, and climate change adaptation.
The
papers will be presented by authors from all around the world,
allowing plenty of time for questions, as well the opportunity
to talk to them through the planned networking events.
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Plenary session at the
World Green Roof Congress 2008, London.
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Speakers
Speakers and presenters have been confirmed from across the
globe, including Australia, Japan, Israel, Turkey, India, USA,
Hong Kong, Brazil, Denmark, Poland, UK, Switzerland, Norway,
Italy, Greece, France, Canada, Spain, Germany, and Sweden.
The impressive list of speakers includes: Tom Liptan, City of
Portland, Oregon;
Ed Snodgrass, Green Roof Plants, USA; Dusty Gedge,
Livingroofs.org; Nigel Dunnett, University of Sheffield; Stephen
Brenneisen, Zurich University of Applied Science; Peter Bishop,
London Development Agency; Alun Tarr, Wildface; Simon Mills,
Corporation of London and Sarah Cary, British Land, among many
others.
These speakers will discuss their views, visions and experiences
of green roofs and walls.
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Speaker session from 2008.
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Why attend?
Green roofs and green walls revolutionise building designs and
deliver ecosystem services in the form of green infrastructure.
The associated environmental and social benefits will ensure
regulatory and environmental policies meet the challenges and
vagaries of climate change and help achieve greater
sustainability within a challenging business environment.
The Congress provides a unique opportunity to share and
disseminate international good practice and highlight the
delivery of green roofs, demonstrating their contribution to
sustainability, green infrastructure and ecosystem services.
Delegates can expect:
• inspiration on providing high quality urban living, within a
challenging regulatory and financial framework
• an overview, best practice and focused details of green roof
delivery
• recognised national and international experts discussing the
opportunities provided by green roofs and green walls
• a forum for stakeholders to discuss the challenges of green
roof and wall delivery
• to benefit from case studies and recent research
• an understanding of the role of green roofs and walls in
sustainable urban regeneration and climate change adaptation
• an opportunity to network with key policy and decision makers
as well as the supply chain involved in the delivery of green
roofs and green walls.
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Congress pre-registration reception at the
Mayor of London’s offices at City Hall, 2008
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An exhibition
Delegates will also have an opportunity to visit an exhibition
alongside the Congress showcasing developments in the industry.
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Exhibition area at the World Green Roof
Congress 2008, London.
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An eye on
green roofs
Delegates will have the opportunity to visit the green roof
terrace on the 10th floor of the Allen & Overy building to take
in their green roof infrastructure, whilst networking with other
delegates and continuing to discuss and learn about the benefits
of green roofs and the ever-changing developments within the
industry.
The challenge for all cities is how existing roofs can be
retrofitted. London is already driving uptake of green
roofs through its unique policy within the London Plan. Over
500,000m2 of green roofs have already been installed since
Livingroofs.org Ltd was established in 2008, and it is hoped
that the area installed since the last London World Green Roof
Congress will be announced at this years’ event. With an
estimated 32% of Central London's roof surface alone that could
be retrofitted with green roofs, it is imperative that we share
and learn from the experiences of others and continue to
disseminate the vision of how other countries have greened the
roofs and walls of their architecture, both old and new…
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Congress reception on the 10th floor green
roof terraces of the Allen & Overy LLP offices.
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To find
out more on how you can participate visit:
www.worldgreenroofcongress.com
or tel: Charles Perkin at CIRIA on +44(0) 20 7549 3300 or email
charles.perkin@ciria.org
Dusty Gedge
Director,
Livingroofs.org
President,
European Federation of Green Roof Associations
www.livingroofs.org
email:
dusty@dustygedge.co.uk
Dusty Gedge has been a forefront of promoting green roofs in the
UK. For over 15 years, he has provided advice and
expertise to many local authorities and cities within the UK and
beyond. Through his consultancy work he has designed a
range of green roofs, some of which are seminal examples of
implementation. He is currently the President of The
European Federation of Green Roof Associations. He is
internationally recognised for his work on green roofs,
especially in terms of the provision of green roofs for
biodiversity and has been invited as a speaker to numerous
international events and on behalf of cities and interested
parties throughout the world.
Dusty has also written a number of books and reports, including
the Living roofs and Wall Technical Report to support the New
London Plan and Building Greener published by CIRIA. He
also has his own consultancy,
www.greenroofconsultancy.com and training company,
www.greenrooftraining.co.uks.
Publisher's Notes: Aramis and I had the pleasure of
attending the first London World Green Roof Congress in 2008,
and from personal experience I can attest the highest attention
was paid by CIRIA and Livingroofs.org to ensure an extremely
professional, interesting and entertaining Congress with an
amazing emphasis on quality all around - from venue, catering,
speakers, exhibitors, to amazing receptions! Read my post
"An
Awesome World Green Roof Congress in London! Day 1" in our
Sky Gardens Blog of November 10, 2008.
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Christine Thuring, left, and me enjoying
ourselves at the Allen & Overy LLP offices in 2008;
Photo by Aramis Velazquez.
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I'd
also like to comment on, or perhaps clarify, the confusion
between the two World Green Roof Congresses this fall - this one
in London in September, and the one in Mexico City in October.
The Congreso Mundial de Azoteas Verdes México 2010 was
initially called the World Green Roof Infrastructure Congress
- A Sustainable Alternative for Big Cities, with
"Infrastructure" being a key word since
AMENA (Asociación Mexicana para la Naturación de Azoteas),
the organizing organization, is a founding member of WGIN - the
World Green Infrastructure Network. I believe
"Infrastructure" was dropped along the way, and so now we have
two World Green Roof Congresses! Which, by the way, both
conferences look like excellent opportunities to learn and
network among colleagues and friends. Look for a Guest
Feature Article soon next month about the congress in
Mexico City by AMENA's president, Tanya Muller.
Past Guest Feature
Articles
The opinions expressed
by our Guest Feature writers and editors may not necessarily reflect
the beliefs of Greenroofs.com, and are offered to our readers to
simply present individual views and experiences and
open
a dialogue of further discussion, debate and research. Enjoy,
and if you have a particular comment, please contact the author
or send us an email to:
comments@greenroofs.com.
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