Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2020 - 4

Mark Morrison

Molly Meyers

Ed Jarger

Christian Mahlstedt

LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SUMMER 2020 / 4

Daniel Martin
since 1996. Most of our employees are able
to work remotely, however we have limited
office staff working to get product out the
door. We've experienced some disruption
in interacting with customers but we've
been using Microsoft Teams, and other
platforms to continue to interact with and
communicate with our architectural clients.
Molly: Construction and sales activity are
still moving forward and some construction times have accelerated. Design is
slowing down due to future uncertainty.
Maintenance is ongoing and we are practicing safe maintenance by using masks,
gloves, disinfecting surfaces, and allowing
staff to avoid often busy service elevators,
and using stairs instead. Few clients have
stopped maintenance. We are also providing remote technical support - particularly
focused on irrigation systems.
Dave: LiveRoof and LiveWall, LLC's
are under the umbrella of Hortech, Inc.,
which is a nursery, and therefore we're
considered "essential" in Michigan. So, it
is business as usual, except for our office
staff, two thirds of whom are working
from home. We grow modular green
roofs and wall systems here in Michigan,
and throughout North America, through
our network of affiliated nurseries. We
sanitize the office and nursery regularly,
and our customers can pick up orders for
product outside of the office, rather than
coming in. I prepared a backgrounder on
the coronavirus and what staff could do
to protect themselves to help alleviate
fears and the negative impact of incorrect
information.
Christian: We've been designing, building
and maintaining green roofs and walls
for more than ten years in Ontario. Our
maintenance business has been disrupted,
particularly in long term care facilities and

Dave MacKenzie
some residential so there is a back log. Design and project estimation have remained
strong. Some workers are concerned about
travelling on public transit to projects.
Daniel: How has your business been impacted
by the pandemic?
Christian: Don't get sidetracked too easily
or bogged down. Focus on effective communication to ensure continuity. Customers need to know we can safely maintain
their projects.
Dave: You need to adapt and be flexible
to this changing situation, in part by accepting what you can and cannot control.
The potential long term impact of the
pandemic is concerning.
Molly: I think our industry is going to
emerge stronger from this pandemic.
People are recognizing more and more
that nature is a refuge. The fundamentals
of our industry are strong.
Ed: We need to remain patient, control
what can be controlled and take a deep
breath. This will pass. We will continue
to invest in innovative ways to manage
stormwater which is likely to become more
of a challenge due to climate change.
Mark: I think our team will emerge
stronger because of this. We are optimistic
about the industry, particularly residential
green roof projects which provide amenity
spaces.
For More Information
Location of Maintenance Tips- https://
livingarchitecturemonitor.com/news/2020/5/5/
top-ten-tips-for-ensuring-the-maintenance-ofyour-green-roof-and-wall-projects-during-thecovid-19-pandemic
Covid-19 Backgrounder
https://livingarchitecturemonitor.com/
news/2020/5/6/how-to-reduce-the-anxietyyou-may-be-feeling-about-covid-19
LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

http://www.livingarchitecturemonitor.com/news/2020/5/5/top=ten-tips-for-ensuring-the-maintenance-of-your-green-roof-and-wall-projects-during-the-covid-19-pandemic https://www.livingarchitecturemonitor.com/news/2020/5/6/how-to-reduce-the-anxiety-you-may-be-feeling-about-covid-19 http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2020

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