PARK(ing) DayIn the spirit of recapturing real estate devoted to motor vehicles and using that space to benefit the general public, I teamed with three other members of the Green Roof Alliance to design and construct a demonstration living roof to sit in our commandeered spot for the day.
The project had very simple goals: a) participate in the spirit of PARK(ing) Day b) educate the general public on the benefits of green/living roofs, and c) emphasize the dramatic change from hardscape to landscape.
For the demonstration roof, landscape architect Jim Davidge built a dog house (complete with screened front porch). The roof was outfitted with greenery, and the sides of the house were adorned with benefits of green roofs: Supports biodiversity; Insulates spaces below; Captures rainwater; Reduces heat island effect. Informational cards were available that listed further benefits, and links to the Green Roof Alliance website for more information and member sites.
We were fortunate enough to get greenery (preseeded sedum beds, succulants and drought-resistant grasses and plants) donated from several sources: Flora Grubb, Native Sons and Paxton Gate. They represented the broad range of suitable plants for roofscapes, on both the extensive (lighter, less maintenance) and intensive (deeper, heavier soils, more maintenance required) scope of installation.
For more information on the event, see the founders ReBar site, and a great summary write up by SF Streetsblog.
Hey! Someone made a video of the SF event, and we get some camera time!
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