Spectacular Walls in Green
Mike Crook, Trading Director of SIG Design & Technology talks to Civic & Public Building Magazine about how we can design and enable public buildings and spaces to perform better.
Half the world’s population lives in cities and the UK population is
expected to rise from 60 to 70 million by 2029. Specifiers are increasingly looking for the built environment to be multi-tasking and sustainable. An example is London’s biggest shopping centre, Westfield Shepherds Bush, where spectacular good looks and green innovation were crucial to the success of public realm design. Planning requirements required a noise and visual barrier between a busy pedestrian access and adjacent existing residential properties. Public realm architects AECOM Design + Planning proposed a living wall as an attractive feature rather than a conventional wall which could be an eyesore. A 170 m x 4.5 m green living wall now decorates a narrow space,
providing an innovative and attractive setting for diners in facing restaurants on the Upper Terrace. Westfield wanted to achieve instant impact, diversity of colour and
texture all in a low maintenance, easy irrigation system. The living wall comprises around 5,000 panels covering an area of 1,250 m2
with nine
planting mixes. The Upper Terrace is effectively a roof over the car park below. More generally, the sensible option is to maximise the fifth elevation. Roofs aren’t just about keeping the rain out and buildings warm. Using
innovative technologies, they can also offer biodiversity, amenity and generate energy.
“The first intensive roof was probably the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which formed one of the Seven Wonders of the World.”
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Part L of the Building Regulation, due in April, will ask for reductions in emissions of CO2
of 25 % relative to 2006 – making all new domestic
buildings zero carbon by 2016, and all non-domestic buildings zero-carbon by 2019. Higher standards of construction and cutting down on air leakage will become ever more essential. We need well designed, well insulated and well constructed roofs. Product sustainability, longevity and integrity are also core
credentials. One single ply membrane is made from polyisobutylene (PIB), a synthetic rubber comprising 70% natural materials, and uniquely carries a full Life Cycle Assessment. Rhepanol fk, suitable for both new-build and refurbishment, can be installed directly over bituminous roofs and requires no hot work. A green roof helps to keep the building warmer in winter and cooler in summer and can significantly reduce noise coming into the building. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University found that the temperature
beneath the membrane of a conventional roof fluctuated between 0.2°C and 32°C. In contrast, under the green roof the variation was much less: from 4.7°C to 17.1°C. Green roofs can also play a key role in SuDS (sustainable urban drainage systems) typically intercepting at least the first 5 mm of rain in any shower which reduces run off. At the same time as making a considerable contribution to biodiversity, a green roof also increases the lifespan of the waterproofing. A lightweight modular green roof offers reassurance against
puncture as it can be installed once other trades have finished. Made up of 0.5m module trays, a modular green roof offers either a sedum roof or a bespoke pre-grown horticultural selection of sedum, indigenous grasses and wildflowers.
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