College to develop course for roof gardens with a difference
A NOTTINGHAM college has successfully bid for a £250,000 grant which could see rooftops across Europe being transformed into gardens.
South Nottingham College has been awarded a living roofs grant to develop the first-ever qualification in installing and maintaining the roofs.
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Vision of the future: Jon Rawson, of South Nottingham College, is leading the living roofs project.
The college is working with partners in Austria, Hungary, Greece, Sweden and Switzerland over the next two years to develop and pilot the qualification.
Jon Rawson, the college's science, technology, engineering and mathematics co-ordinator, and Living Roofs European project manager, said: "Living roofs, or roofs with vegetation, are becoming more prevalent in that they are seen to be a sustainable way in building to use as a method of insulation.
"They also help to reduce the 'hot island' effect.
"Any roof will have a reflective factor so heat from the sun is reflected back into the atmosphere.
"Where there are heavily urbanised areas there can be a rise in temperature but with vegetation on the roof that heat will be absorbed by plants.
"Another benefit of the living roof is that it reduces the amount of storm water run-off.
"While water runs off traditional roofs and goes down drains, which can lead to flooding, by having vegetation the water will be absorbed and the impact of flooding reduced."
At the moment living roofs are rare because people don't have the skills needed to install and maintain them.
South Nottingham College bid for the funding from the Leonardo Da Vinci Transfer of Innovation Programme.
The course at its base in Ruddington will see students work on ground level roof rigs to perfect their skills.
Other options to give students vocational training include installing a living roof on a college building, working on two single-storey eco-homes, and a self-build project near Redhill which will include living roofs.
Mr Rawson said he hoped training people in the project will lead to living roofs become more commonplace in cities.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the college to play an instrumental part in a major sustainability project," he said.
"In urban areas there often isn't space for social areas like parks.
"If you have a block of flats with a garden on the roof, residents can go there as opposed to not having a garden at all.
"It's about increasing green spaces where they might not have existed due to urbanisation and industrialisation."
2 Comments
by Davidnc
Thursday, November 24 2011, 6:17PM
“It would be just as useful to learn how to do Living Walls as part of the same course. There are a number of UK examples of these, including one in our very own West Bridgford, on Bridgford Road. There is just as much, if not more, technology required to learn this, and the choice of species probably matters more than with green roofs.”
by smshogun
Thursday, November 24 2011, 5:54PM
“These green roofs are nothing new as many company's have been installing them for many years in the UK and around the world.”