Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2011 - (Page 30)

CANOPY LAYERING PROVIDES A NATURALISTIC VISUAL SCREEN WHILE ENHANCING ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, SEASONAL INTEREST AND WILDLIFE HABITAT. painted grey to conform to existing parapet colors, and that post heights should be lowered so as to be visually unobtrusive. MKMLA modified the positioning and heights of trees in relation to the glass parapet; an evergreen hedge along the east edge of the berm conceals a varied canopy from street level. From the standpoint of the landscape architect, the approval process is often the most interesting, as it represents the intersection between vision and implementation and substantially influences the final shape of a design. Taking charge at that point and being able to produce accurate visualizations were key in gaining the approvals necessary to realize the project. PLANNING TO REUSE Windsway, MKMLA, and Rich were committed to sustainable construction methods involving the reuse of all existing paving, growing media, decking and plant materials. Finding space for materials and work areas involved careful planning. The construction of the metalwork (posts, screens, and benches with complex curves) necessitated the installation of a preliminary template while metal fabrication took place offsite. MKMLA worked closely with Nat Oppenheimer, PE, of Robert Silman Associates to determine acceptable live/dead/wind loads for the quantities of growing media, metalwork and plants proposed. Weights of saturated growing media, metal and snow were calculated by zone: pedestrian at 60 pounds-per square foot (psf) and non-pedestrian at 70 psf. Trees taller than seven-feet above the terrace floor were designed to be secured with horizontal wires below the growing media; all support posts were bolted directly to the roof slab and then properly waterproofed. All beds and structures were required to be set back from the parapet edge by four inches. PRODUCTIVITY BOOST MKMLA increased productive surface area by designing a series of vertical screens. A curved custom-designed steel and copper screen for espaliered Pyrus communis ‘Bosc and Bartlett’ (European Pear varieties) and Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Shinseki, Chojuro, and Nijisseiki’ (Asian Pear varieties) flanks the curved couch. A fence that separates a neighboring terrace is faced with wire mesh panels for climbing vegetables. The eastern edge of the vegetable garden includes screens for climbing vegetables. A custom-built cold frame greatly extends the growing season. Rich was able to grow spinach and arugula that he could enjoy Images courtesy of Mark K. Morrison MARCH 2011 VIEW OF VEGETABLE GARDEN COLD FRAME IS BUILT OF ALUMINUM AND CLAD WITH CEDAR, WITH A COPPER WORK TABLE FOR POTTING AND DIVIDING PLANTS. SELFREGULATING HINGES ON THE FRAME OPEN AT HIGH TEMPERATURE TO AVOID DAMAGING PLANTS.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2011

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2011
Contents
Water Worries
Cities Re-Imagined
Design Strategies for Wild Bees
Special Section: Cities Alive 2011 Conference Guide
Thin Flats
Sky Island at the Visionaire
Welcome New Members
New Corporate Members
Professional Calendar
Seven-Year Pitch

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2011