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The Wood Street project, commanding iconic panoramic views across central London, offered an opportunity to blend a sedum green roof with areas of bio-diversity to create a roof for humans and natural wildlife to enjoy.
The aim was to produce a sedum blanket system with a high aesthetic impact but with minimal maintenance. We also provided habitats and biodiverse areas of roof that maximised species richness throughout the area. Provision was made for a range of species identified in the London Bio-diversity Action Plan which highlights species that are in danger due to loss of habitat.
Communal areas were installed to allow the residents to enjoy the green roof as much as the wildlife it was designed to help. Special consideration had to be taken in these areas as there was going to be a high footfall which can damage many species of plants
The result
A sedum green roof with areas of bio-diversity to create a roof for humans and natural wildlife to enjoy.
Wood Street - London , Client
The versatility of a modular roof system provides a flexible solution to transforming a small unused roof space. A green roof can be all shapes and sizes. As this modular green roof in Derbyshire shows, size doesn't matter! Installed on top of a quaint building on the outskirts of a beautiful garden, the sedum modular system only adds to the serenity of this outdoor space.
The installation of a modular green roof is simple. Each specially designed drainage tray is filled with a filter fleece, substrate and pre-grown sedum blanket. The trays clip together easily and create a no-nonsense, instant green roof. The washed riverstone border completes the clean, professional look of the system.
Another advantage of the modular green roof is the ease of moving the system. Just unclip the trays and move them where you like. If you're moving house, your green roof can come too!
Our modular green roof system can be purchased at our online green roof shop. The materials arrive neatly on pallets from our UK farm and are simple to unload and install straight away.
The result
Installed on top of a quaint building on the outskirts of a beautiful garden, the sedum modular system only adds to the serenity of this outdoor space.
Susan McCarthy, Client
Sky Garden were delighted to secure the urban greening project for Colas Rail’s depot in Rugby.The decision to install a living wall and sedum blanket living roof system allowed Sky Garden to put their technical expertise to the test. The living roof was a straight forward task for our installation team. A sedum blanket system with maintenance pathways was completed simply and efficiently, with Sky Garden installing thousands of similar roofs across the UK each year. A living wall is a more intricate system that must be installed methodically in order to get the stunning results we managed to achieve here.
The project began by fitting the aluminium framework to the wall. The top and outer frame was drilled into place first and the remaining vertical strips accurately spaced across the whole wall, keeping the whole framework square at all times. There was no bottom frame on this project in order to allow for free drainage of the wall into the riverstone border below.
The horizontal pieces followed suit, with our team taking their time to fit the frame with millimetre precision. Once the framework was in place it was time to begin fitting the irrigation system. The pump, tank, waste water tank and fertiliser system were connected and the pipework was fitted through the left and right vertical aluminium frame.
Once this was in place, the vegetation panels could be hooked and bolted in place. This was done methodically with each panel being numbered and bolted in to place from the bottom left and running across each row. This was a simple process at the bottom of the wall, but became more difficult towards the top as our installation team had to use scaffolding to reach the top heights of the framework.
The final phases of the project consisted of plugging any gaps in the wall with spare plants, fitting the irrigation system horizontally across the panels and removing any protective layers from the aluminium.
The result
The final result was worth the hard work. The bespoke system was installed perfectly with no hitches. The living wall looks impressive already, but over time will fill out and flourish. Along with the sedum blanket, which will flower in the spring, the whole area will come to life with colour and vibrance.
Colas Rail, Client
Mr Standbrook wanted to make the most of his newly constructed shed in his garden in Durham. He decided that a green roof would be perfect to replace the vegetation in his garden that the shed would take up.
Sky Garden were happy to help and supplied the materials for a sedum plug plant green roof. The system is easy to install, and Mr Standbrook was happy to do this himself.
A plug planted roof can look a little sparse at first, but over time the sedum plants establish and spread across the roof to create a coverage very similar to a sedum blanket system.
As you can see, a year makes a huge difference to a sedum plug plant green roof!
The result
Mr Standbrook has added a few stones and a stick pile to create habitats for insects, which in turn attracts other local wildlife; not to mention the beautiful sedum flowers attracting pollinators.
Mr Standbrook, Client
The ‘British Horse Society’ install took place during a very hot and dry June 2010. A ‘doughnut’ shaped building with an ancient oak tree taking centre stage. Set in the beautiful countryside south of Birmingham, the BHS offices provide space for employees to offer guidance on everything you need to know about riding, horse welfare and safety, bridleway access, horse ownership and working within the industry.
Built in conjunction with Hodge Single ply and Kier Moss the installation of the 2200m2 roof took approximately 3 weeks and was installed on a IKO spectraplan membrane. With a standard sedum blanket finish above our water retention and drainage layer and 50mm growing medium. Laid as you do turf, sedum is butted tightly together. As the blankets settle, and the sedum creeps as it grows to fill the natural ‘gaps’ that may appear following installation.
The result
The British Horse Society is a building that is truly fitting to have a green roof, and an installation we are extremely proud of.
British Horse Society, Client
The client wanted a modern facility and visitor centre that would not only help them to meet growing demand for their single malt whisky but would complement the setting.
The architect, therefore designed a modular building with an undulating green roof to help the building blend within the surrounding countryside. Composed of a timber grid-structure, the 12,000 m2 double-curved roof, which features five mounds to accommodate the distillery’s five production cells, is one of the largest wildflower roofs in Europe, which Sky Garden still maintains.
The result
Since 1824 The Macallan has stood for premium quality, craftsmanship and luxury. The eye-catching roof for their distillery and visitor centre certainly instils these brand qualities. The 12,300m² green roof was challenging throughout the project, but Sky Garden can be proud of the final result their hard work produced.
, Managing Director mcmillan distillery
Black Rock Quarry, near Portishead, is a 5800m2 police training centre which will serve the police forces of Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. It will provide a state-of the-art firearms training hub including self-contained and enclosed indoor firing ranges plus a tactics enclosure together with staff offices, training facilities, and other related services.
The building has been designed to respect the current environmental considerations of the site as far as possible.
We were first approached in March 2012 about the green roof project with an aim to blend the building in to the quarry environment into which the building was set. Sky Garden implemented the use of regionally sourced materials not only close to the source of the project but in keeping with the surrounding colour of the local rock. Installation was carried in stages due to the peregrine nesting season causing installation to span over two visits.
The result
This is a flag ship installation for Millers Construction, Avon and Somerset Police, Blue Light Partnership and Sky Garden.
Millers Construction , Client
