ROOFS

VITAE’s Green Roof Is A Public Ascending Footpath & Vineyard

Vitae By Carlo Ratti Associati Won The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group “Reinventing Cities” Competition

14 June 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), an Italy-based international design and innovation studio bagged the first place award at the recently concluded competition “Reinventing Cities” by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The company won the honor to develop a new office and scientific research center in a vacant space in Serio St. located in the south of Milan, which is a former industrial lot.

Carlo Ratti Associati-CRA-Reinventing Cities-Vitae-vineyard-Milan-c40 — (Carlo Ratti Associati)

The winning entry of CRA called VITAE proposes a 250 meters or 650 feet long urban vineyard design. The firm developed it in response to the challenge made by the C40 network of the megacities of the world to come up with a unique public space for one of the flourishing areas of the city with sustainability and climate change in mind.

Public Ascending Footpath = VITAE’s Green Roof

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The principle of the successful project includes a biophilic design that will cover an entire building. This means the creation of an open to the public ascending footpath starting from the street level all the way to the rooftop. The most important aspect of the design is bringing nature back in the urban setting.

VITAE Connects Residents With The Natural Environment

The name VITAE befits the entire concept of the project as it’s the Italian word for vine and life in Latin. By putting vegetation at the core of its design, VITAE will connect the residents of the city to the natural environment.

Carlo Ratti Associati-CRA-Reinventing Cities-Vitae-piazza-Milan-c40 — (Carlo Ratti Associati)

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CPH Common House First Upcycled High-Rise Building in the World

17,577 tons of waste can be upcycled to build the complex enabling to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,174 tons

03 May 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

Due to the Danish architecture firm TREDJE NATUR, their latest proposal CPH Common House is the first upcycled high-rise building in the world. Situated in the Ørestad area of Copenhagen, its designers Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR aim to set totally new standards for sustainability. Incorporated circularity played a pivotal role right from the very beginning. With a total residential area of 21,000 square meters and 30,000 square meters of commercial space in the building’s base, topics like a well-thought-out microclimate, resource use and material recycling are core parts – instead of annoying trivialities – of the architectural concept.

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House in Copenhagen — (TREDJE NATUR)

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Reusing rainwater to cultivate the terraces and the roof garden

”With CPH Common House, we want to show that you can easily build high and densely without losing the connection to history, context and the human scale. The project is based on a strong understanding of the site, resources and the microclimate, which results in an empathetic benchmark for sustainable high-rise buildings in Copenhagen,” said Ole Schrøder, partner at THIRD NATURE.

Community Meeting Spaces in the Courtyard and On the Roof Terraces

But why TREDJE NATUR calls CPH Common House the first upcycled high-rise building in the world? Due to the architects, 17,577 tons of waste can be upcycled to build the complex. This enables to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,174 tons and reuse resources like tiles, concrete, window frames or wood paneling to an unprecedented extent.

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House Rainwater — Reusing rainwater for planting and cultivating terraces and the roof garden (TREDJE NATUR)

CPH Common House provides several recreation areas on the different roof stages and greenery-infused courtyard. According to TREDJE NATUR, the many grass plains, plants, flowers, bushes and trees improve the bio factor by 5 percent.

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The client of the project is SOLSTRA Development – Bellakvarter A/S. ”For SOLSTRA Development, it has been crucial to collaborate with architects that could provide the best possible basis for the further process. Here THIRD NATURE and Lendager Group have exemplified how to build a distinctive high-rise building with great qualities and values in both the housing units as well as the outdoor spaces,” said Søren Raae Teisen, Development Director at SOLSTRA DEVELOPMENT A/S.

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House bio factor increased — Green roof areas, edge zones and a green a lush courtyard increase the bio factor by 5% (TREDJE NATUR)

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House balconies — (TREDJE NATUR)

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House Courtyard — (TREDJE NATUR)

Urban Rooftop Farm Proposed for Notre-Dame by Paris-Based Studio Nab

Growing vegetables and producing honey on the top of Notre-Dame

02 May 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Urban Farming

Thanks to Studio NAB, we move away from the traditional paths again. Why? Beginning at the evening of 15 April 2019, a fire destroyed the spire, the oak frame and lead roof of Notre-Dame, the old lady of Paris. However, it didn’t take a long time before donations of more than 1,000,000,000 EUR for the restoration of the partially destroyed medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité have been raised.

Notre Dame Cathedral burning — Burning Notre Dame on 15 April 2019 (Bouette [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)])

Notre Dame Cathedral burning Studio NAB redesigned — (Milliped [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)])

Studio NAB simply took it literally when the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that the rehabilitation project should be “adapted to issues of our time”. The Paris based architects translated this wish and proposed an urban farming rooftop for the 1260 built monument. Leaving the trodden path and reacting in a flexible way means to grow vegetables and produce honey on the top of Notre-Dame for the resource-hungry capital of France.

Inside Studio NAB's Notre Dame urban farming rooftop — Inside the designed greenhouse rooftop of Notre-Dame (Studio NAB)

Studio NAB states: “Our approach is simply to feed the debate about the future of Notre Dame de Paris. We suggest a slightly different angle of view, more universalist than focused on creativity or on the choice of an ideal architectural answer. Highlight the fact that contemporary architecture has a real social role to play if it listens to society and issues to consider for the next decades. In our opinion, architecture should express itself with a certain empathy in its approach to the projects, but also of the Human for whom it builds. It should not be reduced to the result of a gesture, nor to a formal or technological expression, nor to the enhancement of a mere materiality.”

“Our historic heritage, of which Notre Dame is a part, is the guarantor of our history for all and for future generations.”

In concrete terms, the different angle also means to provide a teaching and learning environment for urban agriculture, horticulture and permaculture by saddling up a greenhouse on the top of Notre-Dame. If that wouldn’t be enough, Studio NAB imagines producing the famous “nectar of the gods” with beekeeping on the very top of Notre-Dame and above the roofs of Paris.

beekeeping bees Studio NAB's Notre Dame urban farming rooftop — Beekeeping on the top of Notre-Dame (Studio NAB)

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Notre-Dame has been modified frequently after its completion in the 13th century. Especially during the French Revolution beginning in 1789, the cathedral was seriously damaged. Regular modifications, major maintenance, overhauls, reparations, restorations and other similar acts are part of Notre-Dame, part of its history and therefore absolutely not exceptional. Will the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron, be brave enough?

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It’s not the first time that Studio NAB is grabbing the headlines with forward-looking solutions in the field of urban farming. Their six-story urban farm invention called SUPERFARM is a quite thought-out holistic approach with valuable inspirations. With SUPERFARM, Studio NAB looks towards a future in which terrestrial landmasses are nearly entirely occupied. They intend to place SUPERFARM on the water.

Their six-story urban farm postulates that vertical farms can be built over water. The tower would produce fruits, vegetables, fish, honey, and possibly even high-protein insects to feed city populations without using any pesticides. Very likely, we should be ready for further proposals taking us off the beaten paths.

Green Roofs in New York City Mandatory on New Buildings Due to Climate Mobilization Act

New York Follows Cities Like Denver, Portland, Toronto, and San Francisco

28 April 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

New York City, New York – From high-rise residential building to the iconic Empire State Building, any structures over 25,000 sq ft may face massive fines if they do not adopt a greener structure. The result of the city’s latest green building ordinance by 2030 is comparable to that of taking out over a million vehicles off the streets of New York.

Green Roofs in New York City Mandatory Due to Climate Mobilization Act - Rockefeller building — Rockefeller Rooftop Garden (Rian Castillo – Flickr)

The Climate Mobilization Act, which is a set of resolutions and laws specially created to improve New York city’s energy efficiency drastically, was approved last April 22 preceding Earth Day. The historic bill will transform the city literally green. What will see in the years to come is a Big Apple with a skyline abound with plants, wind turbines, and solar panels, instead of its trademark glass-dominated one.

The so-called “New Green Deal” aims to reduce as much as 40% of GHG emissions by 2030 and more than 80% by 2050 in New York. The focus of the legislation is the structures in the city with green roofs being pushed in the spotlight.

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Cities such as Denver, Portland, Toronto, and San Francisco have already taken the leap. New York City not far behind in their footsteps is requiring brand new commercial and residential buildings to incorporate their rooftops with either solar panels, plants, mini wind turbines, or if possible combine all three due to dwell.

Green Roofs in New York Reduce Cooling Demand and Absorb Dust

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It may seem like modifying the material of a rooftop is a tiny step, but it will have an overall profound impact. Green roofs with vegetation can help reduce the Heat Island Effect (HIE). Solar radiation which is stored in the building masses and roads can now be used to grow plants instead of heating up cities. And since there will be moderation in heat gain, power plants demand will also decrease as well as the energy consumption of the building. Green roofs are also absorbing dust and dirt and nearby places for relaxing moments.

According to one of the sponsors of the bill and member of the NYC Council, Rafael Espinal, the bill they passed will not just make Big Apple’s skyline more beautiful, but New Yorkers and future generations will also benefit from it by improving the quality of their lives. Aside from covering new structures, the Climate Mobilization Act will also include those going through particular large-scale improvements and renovations.

MVRDV’s Tainan Market Blends City With Countryside

Completion is expected in late 2020

10 March 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

The Tainan market, a wholesale fresh produce market in Taiwan, will soon get a new home. Designed by MVRDV, it will be housed beneath an undulating green roof that has been designed to reflect the natural vistas of rolling hills that surround the city and will become a destination for those who want to use the artificial “hill” as a vantage point over the surrounding landscape.

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The building itself has open sides, thus retaining the feel of an open marketplace. But the roof that protects it from inclement weather will be much more than just that. Terraced gardens separated by walkways and punctuated with benches that invite relaxation will be among the amenities that visitors can enjoy.

The gardens themselves will reflect the character of the market, with various food and ornamental crops being grown on the terraces. Crop selection for each area will be based on orientation and microclimate.

Tainan Market Completion is Expected in Late 2020

A four-story structure houses the market’s administrative offices and an education center where the area’s agricultural crops are exhibited and explained.

The entire construction project is being undertaken by local firms and completion is expected in late 2020. Commentators say that the green roof’s undulating design will be in keeping with the scenic beauty of the area and that the market will provide a visually pleasing and functional link between city and country.

Green Roof Tainan Market by MVRDV in Taiwan — Green roof terraces on Tainan Market (MVRDV)

“Tainan, in my opinion, is one of those towns which is so beautiful to me because maybe most of its nature, agriculture fields, farms, sea, and mountains”, says Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV. “Tainan Market, can become a building that symbolises this beauty as it compliments both landscape and its surrounding environment. It is completely functional and caters to the needs for auctioning, selling and buying goods, but its terraced roof with its collection of growing products will allow visitors to take in the landscape while escaping from bustle below.’’