Roof Gardens - A Cool Lifestyle In A Hot City

During the height of the summer the streets of London can become unbearably hot and sticky. You long for an ice cream or a cool drink and somewhere shady to sit and catch a breeze. For the lucky residents who have access to a flat roof there is now an important alternative solution. More and more home owners are building roof gardens or green roofs to help them live in style during the hot weather.

Although there are examples from the earlier part of the 20th century, it was not until the 1960’s that the use of roof gardens began to literally grow upwards. As well as having an amenity value, a roof garden offers substantial environmental benefits - for instance:

1. It can lower the temperature above a building, often substantially. Basically a city can raise the atmospheric temperature by reflecting sunlight - a phenomenon sometimes referred to as 'the urban heat island effect'. Having a green roof helps counteract this.
   


2. Insulation - a roof garden can help keep a building cool in summer and warm in winter, so fuel bills are reduced.
   


3. Wildlife - even on high rise apartment blocks a green garden can provide a stopover for tired birds and attract insects with plants.

If you want to enjoy the lifestyle which comes with a proper roof garden there are 2 choices:

The “Heavyweight” Route
This involves layers of waterproof membrane, constructing drainage channels if needed and then laying natural turf over the top. Of course, you could venture into hydroponics to try and minimise the weight and there are special soil mixtures available to help but basically you are looking at a lot of weight , a lot of installation work and possibly even strengthening the roof.

The "Lightweight" Route
Use planter pots, tubs and bedding to carry your plants and lay artificial grass. This way you will have less maintenance and the whole project will be easier to construct. Not only that, but all the worries about how you compost grass cuttings 10 stories up won't even cross your mind!

Many city dwellers are already doing this with the likes of Lord Linley setting a headlining example when he had artificial grass installed on the roof garden of his central London residence.

So next time you are trying to catch a breeze in a hot dusty city, look up .... you'll probably see beautiful roof gardens offering a cool solution to a busy city life.

Artificial Grass - Environmental Benefits, Usage

A recent news article shows nicely how artificial grass can both support environmental concerns and enhance your lifestyle. The Prince of Wales had upgraded his Range Rover to run on biodiesel but was then faced with the difficulty of how to avoid problems caused by low overnight temperatures. Apparently as the temperature drops below -5 degrees centigrade then the biodiesel becomes thick and lumpy.

What was the solution? His Royal Highness turned to artificial grass as a covering for his garage floor in order to keep the temperature above freezing point. Whilst this was obviously a welcome endorsement for artificial grass, it serves as a reminder of the many different uses to which it can be put.

Here are just a few examples:

1. Putting greens - we have seen putting greens laid out inside buildings, even a small one in an office and recently we installed one as a leisure area for the use of delegates adjacent to a hotel conference room. Read more....

2. Swimming pool surrounds - traditionally natural grass doesn’t fare very well around swimming pools; the wear under foot creates a worn, bare and faded turf. Artificial grass is the ideal solution.

3. Roof gardens - planting shrubs and flowers in tubs is fine but when you want to really forget where you are and capture the feelings of being in a real garden then you need grass as well. Natural turf is generally not an option here but artificial grass is ideal.

4. Exhibition stands - if you sell outdoor products it helps to show them in an outdoor environment such as garden furniture etc. Conference centres and exhibition halls are not ideal for natural turf, but artificial grass can add a truly authentic look.

5. Airports - the grass verges of runways can be difficult to maintain, as they need regular cutting and maintenance. If also in a hot dry climate, they would need regular watering. Using artificial grass makes all these issues much easier.

There are many more ways in which artificial grass can help promote a better lifestyle as well as support environmental issues. If you come across any of the more unusual applications, please let us know.