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three_options [2008-04-01 11:01] – sanjeevthree_options_for_rooftop_gardens [2008-04-04 19:07] – sanjeev
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 === Urban Permaculture: Rooftop Gardening === === Urban Permaculture: Rooftop Gardening ===
  
-These notes form a part of [[sanjeev shankar]]'s research, which is summarised in his [[research_report_sanjeev-shankar|research report]]+These notes form a part of [[sanjeev_shankar]]'s research, which is summarised in his [[research_report_sanjeev-shankar|research report]]
  
 The first option for rooftop gardening is container gardening, a less formal, highly flexible, cheaper form of roof gardening which is commonly seen in cities worldwide. In container gardening, few to no modifications are made to the existing roof structure; containers – anything from plastic swimming pools to recycled-wood planters – are placed on a rooftop and filled with the desired soil type and plants. One of the problems here is the soil in rooftop containers might thaw on a warm winter day. Further roof container gardens dry out quickly and often require daily watering unless a mulch cover such as straw, wood chips or even a sub-soil layer of newspapers and compost is used to slow down evaporation. Also, in places with extreme climate, the container material must be carefully considered.  The first option for rooftop gardening is container gardening, a less formal, highly flexible, cheaper form of roof gardening which is commonly seen in cities worldwide. In container gardening, few to no modifications are made to the existing roof structure; containers – anything from plastic swimming pools to recycled-wood planters – are placed on a rooftop and filled with the desired soil type and plants. One of the problems here is the soil in rooftop containers might thaw on a warm winter day. Further roof container gardens dry out quickly and often require daily watering unless a mulch cover such as straw, wood chips or even a sub-soil layer of newspapers and compost is used to slow down evaporation. Also, in places with extreme climate, the container material must be carefully considered. 
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   * One clause of the Russian law states that authorities are obliged to help gardening associations with roads construction and repair, as well as  water drainage and supply.   * One clause of the Russian law states that authorities are obliged to help gardening associations with roads construction and repair, as well as  water drainage and supply.
   * Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, both used roof gardens extensively in their architecture   * Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, both used roof gardens extensively in their architecture
-  * New York has established a green roof task force, which is exploring direct government support of green roofs, including tax credits and other +  * New York has established a green roof task force, which is exploring direct government support of green roofs, including tax credits and other incentives 
-incentives. +
   * The Earth Pledge Foundation in New York strives to address sustainability at the local level – its programs include the Green Roof Initiative, which encourages initiatives to green New York City’s rooftops, and the Waste=Fuel program,which aims to facilitate an industrial infrastructure for turning food waste into fuel,enabling the city to generate electricity, heat, and steam.   * The Earth Pledge Foundation in New York strives to address sustainability at the local level – its programs include the Green Roof Initiative, which encourages initiatives to green New York City’s rooftops, and the Waste=Fuel program,which aims to facilitate an industrial infrastructure for turning food waste into fuel,enabling the city to generate electricity, heat, and steam.
   * Hydroponics is found to be way too complex and expensive in lot of eastern countries and some of african countries too. In these places, roof gardens build out of local materials are most suitable. They are repair and maintained by the communities themselves. This is seen in places like India, St. Petersburg and Senegal. Infact, in Senegal people have devised a local solution using bricks and wooden box beds. In India too, the use of locally available cheap materials to create roof gardens is most successful. The “Doshi System” is offered as the most suitable method. It uses sugarcane stalks, collected from sugarcane juice vendors outside of his house, as biomass. This is lightweight, allows water drainage, and keeps soil in place.   * Hydroponics is found to be way too complex and expensive in lot of eastern countries and some of african countries too. In these places, roof gardens build out of local materials are most suitable. They are repair and maintained by the communities themselves. This is seen in places like India, St. Petersburg and Senegal. Infact, in Senegal people have devised a local solution using bricks and wooden box beds. In India too, the use of locally available cheap materials to create roof gardens is most successful. The “Doshi System” is offered as the most suitable method. It uses sugarcane stalks, collected from sugarcane juice vendors outside of his house, as biomass. This is lightweight, allows water drainage, and keeps soil in place.
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 knowledge or incentives, funding, water supply, safety, and the harshness of rooftop environments are also major barriers. Still, rooftop agriculture is slowly becoming more common, particularly in the developing world, where rooftop food production may have a significant impact on food security and income, solutions are creative and site-specific, and roofs are often built of different materials than those in the developed world. knowledge or incentives, funding, water supply, safety, and the harshness of rooftop environments are also major barriers. Still, rooftop agriculture is slowly becoming more common, particularly in the developing world, where rooftop food production may have a significant impact on food security and income, solutions are creative and site-specific, and roofs are often built of different materials than those in the developed world.
  
-For more details and case studies about rooftop gardens around the world, please click on the link below. This is a senior honors thesis from Cornell University. {{:roofgarden_thesis.pdf|}}+An interesting case study to solve the problem of soil load is //midorie// - a new environment greening project which delivers soil-less roof and wall garden system.((http://www.suntory.com/about/news/2008/10033.html)) In an effort to help keep Tokyo and other cities green and ease the so-called “heat-island” problem of rising temperatures in crowded metropolitans, Japanese brewer Suntory Ltd. has created an alternative to soil. The motivation behind the fake soil is that Tokyo has very strict load requirements due to its earthquake-prone location, hence real dirt is hard to come by. The synthetic dirt substitute, ’Pafcal‘, weighs less than half as much as real soil and is made of urethane. When used as a roof garden, it can reduce the internal temperature of a building up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) 
 + 
 +For more details and case studies about rooftop gardens around the world, please click on the documents below: 
 +  * {{:roofgarden_thesis.pdf|}}(This is a senior honors thesis from Cornell University.) 
 +  * {{:roof_top_permaculture.pdf|}}
  
 Other important links:    Other important links:   
   * http://www.greenroofs.com   * http://www.greenroofs.com
   * http://www.hydrogarden.com   * http://www.hydrogarden.com
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