Yestermorrow Design/Build School Green Roof Design and Installation Contact hours: 35 Course Description: Green roofs are gaining popularity for several reasons. They are super efficient at insulating a home. They also minimize our ecological footprint by retaining and filtering water before it reaches our rivers and streams. In this course, we will explore intensive and extensive green roof systems. We will discuss various planning strategies including water retention and native habitat preservation. We will cover the theoretical and technical considerations of green roofs while gaining the hands-on experience of actually building them. Through evening lectures and discussions, we will examine layer buildup, drainage solutions, characteristics of growing medium, and plant palette selection. We will also introduce case studies from around the world to demonstrate the many ways green roofs have been used, from small scale residential projects to large scale commercial buildings. During the days, we will perform a hands-on installation. Course Objectives Students will explore the history of Green Roofs throughout time to the modern day. Understanding the economic, environmental and social forces that are driving the boom in green roofs and walls will be our goal, as well as learning roofing systems and plant types. Hands on construction of our project roof will give participants the opportunity to understand the ease with which a simple roof can be assembled. Materials to Bring Images of a site, if any Information on pitch of existing roof Location relative to watershed, Major open spaces around them Brief synopsis of why they are interested in green roofs
Suggested Readings Snodgrass, Edmund and Lucy. Green Roof Plants Timber Press Environmental SErvices CIty of Portland. Portland Ecoroof Guide Weiler, Susan. Green Roof Systems Dunnett, Nigel. Small Green Roofs Class Schedule This course will have three components. First, we will look at precedents through published case studies and visiting a few regional examples. In the second part of the course will review the technical components and the layering of the green roof and wall systems. The third part of the course will involve the construction of a green roof and then plant it with our selected vegetation. These three components will occur in unison and be complimentary in their progression. Course Outline Sunday Welcome Dinner Introductions Green roof overview and major concepts Monday AM Green roof types and examples GR history, theory, pitfalls, and myths Plants, Growing media, Drainage layer, etc Monday PM - Field trips Yestermorrow Green Roofs
Riverhouse in Middlesex Maintenance visit to Waitsfield Elementary School Monday evening Guided self study - determine research topics Tuesday AM - Field trips Knoll Farm/Center for Whole Communities Norwegian Lane Folly/Ioannidis Residence (Project site) Tuesday PM Best practices for design and installation Beyond green roofs - Green walls, urban agriculture, etc. Reading, mapping and drawing the project site Planning for project site: logistics, etc Tuesday Evening Select design/research topics Start to develop class "Green Roof Planning Guide" Select/Assign focus within "Green Roof Planning Guide" Wednesday AM
Structure requirements, policies, regulations, and other considerations Best practices for design and installation, continued Bagged lunch Wednesday PM Install edging, drainage and system filter Wednesday evening Self led research and planning guide work Thursday AM Growing medium installation Install stepping stones Bagged lunch Thursday PM Planting design and installation Site cleanup and finishing work Thursday Evening Review of individual design and research topics Self lead research and planning guide work Friday AM
Finish install if needed due to weather Self lead research and planning guide work Final consolidation of "Green Roof Planning Guide" Friday PM Presentation of research and sections of "Green Roof Planning Guide" Graduation