National Sunflower Day occurred over the weekend. Did you know that there is a sunflower native to Alberta?

🌳 Green roofs, water retention ponds and infiltration trenches: "Sponge cities" are designed to reduce flooding and prevent water shortages. How can the simple concept of a sponge pave the way for climate-resilient urban planning?🧽

Sponge cities defy climate change

Water shortages during hot summers are forcing more and more cities to find innovative answers, such as the principle of the sponge.

deutschland.de

Green roofs, from moss and wildflowers to shrubs and small trees, can cool buildings, improve insulation, absorb heavy rainfall and support urban biodiversity. They also help reduce the urban heat island effect, making cities more liveable during extreme summer heat. A data story by Julia Knabe.

A study of the Chicago metropolitan area found that cool, green and solar panel roofs all lowered daytime temperatures and cooling energy use, with cool roofs delivering the greatest savings.

What a roof’s material can do to lower energy demand - Mapping Ignorance

One strategy to save energy and keep buildings in cities cool involves something all buildings already have: a roof

mappingignorance.org

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

From living roofs to rainwater harvesting: the future of sustainable homes

A new book, Homes for Our Time, by Philip Jodidio, showcases the quiet revolution in green residential architecture

theguardian.com

We tailor our construction services to the needs of new builds and retrofits. Depending on the scale and complexity of the project, we make up the project team. For new builds, we often work as a subcontractor to the general contractor; for retrofit projects, we work as the design-builder.

Green roofs differ from ground-level habitats in terms of biodiversity. This can help to boost biodiversity in cities. 🌱🪱 https://f.mtr.cool/rvuvszuipu @florianaltermatt.bsky.social  @laurenmcook.bsky.social @kperrelet.bsky.social

Green roofs provide additional habitats

Green roofs differ from ground-level habitats in terms of biodiversity. This can help to boost biodiversity in cities.

f.mtr.cool

For several generations, we’ve been attuned to ideas that made “progress” synonymous with “big, visible technology” -- highways, rockets, and giant buildings. Now it’s time to see and admire the high tech in greener, more incrementalist moves. ⤵️ issues.eveningpostandmail.com/p/heat-kills

Heat kills

On Breckenridge, the Dust Bowl, and the need to see the high-tech attraction in softer techniques like green roofs

issues.eveningpostandmail.com

Researcher dismisses green roof misconceptions: “Humans can go to the moon, so this shouldn’t be difficult” #Finland #greenroofs #urbanplanning

2 There are cities that can absorb more water, so-called sponge cities. Think about less concrete, more trees and parks, natural waterways, rain collectors, green roofs... cities designed to act like an ecosystem that can with stand heavy rain and dry periods. Swamps and wetlands are also vital.

" Green roofs really do promote bio-diversity. " - Thank you @nicliwilliams.bsky.social for today's rooftop Fox from North London !

We were hired to help reinvigorate a green roof that had not been maintained for several years. The mostly grass and invasive plant vegetation had died back creating a thick thatch cover, smothering any new seedlings.

Basically - to coin a term (I think) - we need to become an ecopunk society. Trees in abundance across our towns and cities, green roofs for ambient cooling, creepers growing pergola-style across roads, also awnings. And pedestrianisation rather than a landscape for cars. What's not to like?

All sheds should have green roofs (if they can) once they have started growing themselves they look lush

Son of Bengt@sonofbengt.bsky.social · 4w ago

We just finished the shed sedum roof before heading off

‘…we need to achieve a minimum of 40% street tree canopy cover, and preferably more, before we start to really feel the benefits of nature’s most advanced air-conditioning technology.’ Me, for Big Issue, on tackling urban #heatwaves…👇 www.bigissue.com/opinion/heat...

Also green roofs (Chicago leads the nation on this) and proper management of storm water that would help keep them hydrated. There are actually a lot of beautiful and creative science-based solutions. This was one of my most favorite projects when I was studying landscape architecture

Green roofs will also help

Adding green roofs where structures allow or white ones also helps.

Extreme heat is pushing city infrastructure to its limits. Researchers argue investing in urban nature — trees, parks, wetlands, and green roofs — is essential, as these cool neighborhoods, reduce flooding, improve air quality, store carbon, and boost public health. 🌱

Extreme heat waves are making our cities buckle. Investing in urban nature is no longer optional.

Green spaces in cities are functioning components of urban infrastructure that deserve the same level of planning, investment and accountability as any engineered system.

livescience.com

🌱 More than 1,000 cycle spaces. Green roofs. Wildflower meadows. Sustainable drainage. Cambridge South demonstrates how sustainability and biodiversity can be built into major rail infrastructure from the outset.

Arcadis delivers net zero carbon station at Cambridge South

Arcadis delivers one of the UK’s first net zero carbon stations at Cambridge South, setting a new benchmark for sustainable rail infrastructure.

arcadis.com

Did you know that about 75% of all flowering plant species need the help of animals to move their heavy pollen grains from plant to plant for fertilization? We can help you create a greenspace that attracts pollinators. Ask us how!

With living architecture, each project is unique. Working closely with our clients, our designs are developed to achieve our client’s objectives and performance goals. We match the needs of our client to the most suitable system type and budget.

Build more green spaces—especially green roofs—to help keep the city cool and combat climate change!

A greener view can change how you feel 💚 Researchers used brainwave sensors and heart rate monitors to measure how we respond to urban greenery - and found out that green walls & roofs, even artificial ones, can reduce heat stress and boost wellbeing 👉 link.europa.eu/3BmTJV

These small living walls add greenery and help improve otherwise dry indoor air to commercial spaces. In Calgary winters, the added humidity and ability of the plants to clean the air is much appreciated particularly to an organization dedicated to wellness and skin care.

Did you know that this week is Insect Week? Insects, especially pollinators, play a critical role in our ecosystem. Living architecture we build can lead to more biodiversity, including beneficial insects, such as butterflies and bees. Ask us how!

"building owners could whitewash flat roofs and invest in outside blinds, greenery was key: not only green roofs and facades, but large parks, trees and green spaces" - w Polsce niestety betonoza na topie, bo autkoza ważniejsza niż życie ludzkie.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last mo.

From mobile jungles to shadow art: how Dutch people try to beat the heat

Solar + green roof is the best roof. They are cooling, attenuate noise, give pollinators habitat, extend the life of roofs & filter stormwater while generating power. Solar + green roofs are symbiotic w/ the plants helping panels generate more power when it's hot livingroofs.org/green-roofs-...

Green Roofs and Solar Power – Biosolar Roofs are Smart Green Infrastructure

Green roofs and solar power - often referred to as Biosolar roofs - is smart green infrastructure.   There is a perception that a roof can either have a green roof or solar power but not both. This i...

livingroofs.org

Solar panels and/or green roofs over all car parks.

Wednesday is Desertification and Drought Day. Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40% of all land area worldwide already considered degraded, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.