Spectacular Green Roofs Around the World
Green roofs are sprouting up more and more on buildings around the world, from private residences and schools to cultural institutions and businesses.
Made with hardy varieties of succulents, grasses, wildflowers, and herbs atop several structural layers—including a waterproof membrane and levels for drainage, insulation, and filtering—these self-sustaining living architectural features can bring natural beauty to urban buildings or connect rural structures to their surrounding landscapes.
The sky-high functional gardens also have a wide variety of ecological benefits, such as the ability to absorb carbon dioxide, reduce storm-water runoff, limit heat absorption, and provide habitats for insects, birds, and other wildlife. Factor in lower heating and cooling costs, extended roof life, and tax incentives (depending on the city), and it’s easy to see why this building trend continues to grow.
Meera Sky Garden House, Singapore
Greenery is visible or accessible from every floor of Meera Sky Garden House, a four-story private residence built by architect Guz Wilkinson on Sentosa, an island in Singapore. The building is constructed with roof gardens on each level and combines glass and solid walls to provide privacy while maximizing cross ventilation, thereby reducing the need for air-conditioning.
SKY GARDEN HOUSE
This house is located on a new housing estate on the island of Sentosa adjacent to Singapore. The plots are not large and neighboring buildings are built close to the sides of each house.
The strategy was to build a solid wall to each side neighbor to provide privacy where possible, while creating a central light and stair well which would funnel the sea breeze through the center of the building.
The front and rear of the building meanwhile, terrace back allowing each storey to have visual or actual access to greenery.
The intention was to try to allow each roof garden provided a base for the storey above allowing the layered effect to make each storey feel like it was a single storey dwelling sitting in a garden
