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Presented in partnership YOUR TURF
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Up on the roof
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Nine native plant species thrive on the living roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, where skylights automatically open and close to vent hot air. |
In 1962, when Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote “Up on the roof” about a refuge from the noisy city “where the air is fresh and sweet,” they never imagined that living roofs that contribute to cleaner air would sprout up all over the planet.
Sod roofs were used in Scandinavia centuries ago, but the modern version of the green or living roof was developed in Germany in the 1960s. One of the largest green roofs in the world, the roof of the California Academy of Sciences (www.calacademy.org/academy/building) in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, opened to the public last Sept. 27.
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The Academy’s new building is the largest public building in the world to earn the highest-possible rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The living roof of the Academy reduces the building’s interior temperature by an average of 10 degrees, and it also reduces low-frequency noise in the building by 40 decibels. In addition, the roof absorbs up to 3.6 million gallons of water annually (about 98 percent of stormwater), preventing runoff.
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To determine which plants to use for the living roof, scientists experimented with 30 species of plants before selecting nine that require little water, tolerate wind and salt spray and are able to self-propagate. The 1.7 million native plants on the roof include four perennials (sea pink, beach strawberry, self heal and stonecrop) and five annuals (California poppy, California goldfields, coastal tidy tips, sky lupine and California plantain). These plants are attractive to native birds, hummingbirds, bumble bees, moths and butterflies, and they also provide nectar for bees and butterflies and host a variety of butterfly larvae and beneficial native insects. Two endangered butterfly species will be introduced to the roof habitat in the future.
The rooftop comprises 4.5 acres, including the solar panel canopy, and more than half of that area is planted material. To anchor the soil and the plants on the steeply sloped roof, Rana Creek Living Architecture, who helped design the roof, developed the BioTray. Made from coconut husks, 50,000 of the biodegradable trays hold the plant material on the roof. Altogether, the soil and plants on the roof weigh 2.6 million pounds.
An almost magical feature of the roof are skylights on top of its seven “hills” that resemble portholes and automatically open and close throughout the day to let warm air escape from the hills and to allow sunlight to reach the rainforest and coral reef exhibits below. Weather stations on the roof monitor the climate to help control the automated passive ventilation systems.
Finally, a large viewing area on the roof is accessible to visitors, who can enjoy an incredible view of Golden Gate Park, the city of San Francisco and the living roof itself.
Turf is king on golf courses, but trees and ornamentals often provide the backdrop that allows a course to truly shine. But just like turf, trees and ornamentals are susceptible to a wide range of diseases and abiotic issues that can be difficult to diagnose. In a webcast titled, “Don’t Get Caught with Your Plants Down,” on Feb. 11, Megan Kennelly, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Kansas State University in horticultural crops, will guide attendees through the major types of tree and ornamental diseases with hints on how to diagnose, prevent and manage diseases to keep your course in excellent shape for years to come. Missed the date of this webcast? Catch it On-Demand anytime. Visit www.gcsaa.org/education/webcast/webcast.aspx for more information, or call GCSAA Education, 800-472-7878. |
