Articles
Thoughts on Innovation and the Living Architecture Industry, On the Roof With… Dr. Anna Droz
Find out what innovation means and how it takes place in the green roof industry with Anna Droz from LiveRoof and LiveWall.
An Overview of Urban Farming Activities in Cities – The Key to A Resilient Future
This is an overview of the many ways in which food is now being produced in cities from mushroom farming to rooftop greenhouses.
Eight Key Lessons from the Eye of the Pandemic Storm – Designers Take Note
Some of the hard lessons of the pandemic hold promise for the green roof and wall industry, and for society as a whole, and may help designers respond to the new wave and waves to come.
How to Keep Exterior Green Walls Alive in the Winter
There is a growing demand for planting exterior green walls in cold climates, but freezing temperatures can take a toll on plants in these systems. Three experts weigh in to share their winter survival secrets: Joep van Vilsteren of Sempergreen; award-winning green roof and wall designer Randy Sharp; and Lucas Moran of green wall manufacturer New Earth Solutions.
Helping Green Roofs Survive the Winter Months
How green roof plants can survive the freezing, thawing and warming of our winters is a mystery to many, and it has become more complicated due to climate change. Find out how they survive and what you can do to help them adapt to these changes.
Designing for Maximum Energy and Climate Benefits of Green Roofs
Green roofs and walls can provide a myriad of energy benefits, from moderating heat through the building envelope, to improving solar PV efficiency, to reducing the urban heat island, and more. A new report provides an exhaustive summary and literature review of these benefits and how designers can maximize them on their projects.
“My Neighborhood Is Killing Me” – A Seattle Green Wall is Raised in Hope
In Georgetown, the largest freestanding Green Wall in the Seattle area stands as a banner to community health in action, hiding an ugly concrete barrier. The Green Wall is not only a successful, sustainable structured landscape ‘intervention’ in its inherent functionality, but delivers benefits that satisfy the goals articulated in the participatory design process.
Imagining the Ultimate Climate Change Busting Living Architecture....
We asked two experts, an architect, Lois Vitt Sale, and a scientist, Wolfgang Amelung - How Does One Design for Maximum Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Performance of Living Architecture. Their responses illustrate the complex nature of this fundamentally important question.
Earth Laughs in Flowers: An Off-Grid Solar-Powered Vertical Rain Garden
A green wall at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley, BC captures water that drains off roofs and uses it to grow an array of plants, while supplemental irrigation is powered by solar panels with battery backup.
Stormwater Calculation Application for Low Impact Development in the Conceptual Design Phase of Urban Site Development
Journal of Living Architecture, Volume 8, Issue 1, p 41-64
Pandemic Stimulates Diverse Interior Green Wall Market
Nature has been the star of our recovery from the pandemic. Bringing life-giving greenery inside can help soothe us and provide us with the many benefits that only nature offers, even while we’re indoors. Mobile indoor green walls bring greenery inside in a flexible way.
Stormwater Retention on a Living Wall | Plant Survival in a Semi-Arid Climate
Journal of Living Architecture, Volume 8, Issue 1: Evaluating the potential stormwater retention of a living retaining wall system; and Observations on the survival capacity of 118 plant taxa on a green roof in a semi-arid climate: 12 year update