1 CROSSRAIL PLACE CANARY WHARF STATION ROOF GARDEN 15UPDATE Sustainable Infrastructure The newsletter of GreenBlue Urban In this issue: Crossrail at Canary Wharf Case Study: Canary Wharf Station roof garden Tree planting reduces flood risk Improving the urban environment Economic benefits of trees in the urban environment Trees and consumer response Green Grid System Collaboration with existing tree root protection supplier
2 Crossrail at Canary Wharf View soon after completion For Norman Foster, the redevelopment of the Docklands commenced back in 1967, nearly 50 years ago, with his designs for new headquarters for Fred Olsen Lines in Millwall Dock. He was regarded as a job threatening, gentrifying intruder in the run-down East End. Before it even opened, protesters smashed the windows. The eyecatching exterior of the new station The vast Canary Wharf district has been under construction for 28 years. London s centre of gravity will be given a further substantial yank eastward when Crossrail, the fast east /west rail link opens in 2018. Canary Wharf Crossrail station will be the largest, and probably the busiest intersection point on the line. Over 100,000 already work in the estate with many more to follow. The Wood Wharf residential project will add 3,200 new homes by 2019. Foster and Partners have masterminded this 500m flagship station project. Crossrail Place draws together the historical maritime, commercial and botanical dockland background. On eight floors (four of them below water level), it embraces transport, retail, leisure and a public, 5,300 square metre semi-tropical roof garden. Its position near the Greenwich Meridian is reflected in beds divided between Eastern and Western flora.
Crossrail at Canary Wharf On the opening of the striking, semi-open roof structure containing leisure facilities and garden, Lord Foster said: Crossrail is an important investment in infrastructure that will have benefits not only in the short term, but also for future generations. The social magnets of shopping, bars, restaurant and a public garden are also part of an enlightened partnership between the public and private domains. The building is conceived to mediate between the adjoining worlds of Canary Wharf and the local community with its different materials and the emphasis on a softer expression and warmer materials. Crossrail, he added, is an investment for future generations on a par with Joseph Bazalgette s 19th-century Victoria Embankment, (across the river from his Battersea office), which elegantly solved the problems of sewage, while providing a great public space with public transport underneath a really holistic design and a great civic statement. We are not as good at big thinking and infrastructure as our Asian counterparts now. Crossrail is one of those magnificent exceptions. Gillespies, with Standerwick Landscape Design, were entrusted with the garden design. Growth Industry Ltd of Hawkhurst, Kent provided specialist consultancy advice on species selection and measures to ensure that the physical restraints, including shallow substrate and overhead structures, were suitably cared for. GreenBlue Urban were delighted that their products, including the modular structural StrataCells affording optimum load bearing and root welfare environments, were integrated into the scheme. Along with their ribbed ReRoot root training systems these products will provide the needed soil volumes and controls for many years of potential growth and environmental benefit and deliver low maintenance requirements. Verdant indoor tree-scape 3 View our video guide to creating a successful tree pit. www./installation-video/ StrataCell matrix under construction prior to filling with topsoil.
SUDS Tree pit Trial 4 Tree planting reduces flood risk The need to prevent repetition of recent flooding and its consequent devastation is concentrating the minds of professionals engaged in the planning and engineering of urban environments. The benefits of planting trees in city and town open spaces are reflected in the detailed guidelines on tree planting prescribed by the government British Standard (BS.8545) MULTIPLE BENEFITS Trees perform multiple functions in controlling rain and storm water. Primarily, the tree canopy acts like a free standing storm-water tank capturing rainfall, dissipating its force and intercepting up to 70% of the first hour of a rain event. London retro installed SUDS tree pit
Tree planting reduces flood risk 5 The second significant benefit relates to hydrology below ground. Healthy, well developed root systems in uncompacted soil increase the potential of any given soil volume to maintain the maximum water absorption capacity. Deeper root penetrations assist in keeping open the vital water dissipating channels. Absorbed water rises within the tree structure and is available for air-cooling transpiration. Summer downpours are dispersed and air temperature and quality improved. These storm specific benefits represent a very significant bonus to enhance the many other advantages bestowed by investing in and the nurturing of appropriate mature trees. Green urban environments produce rising real estate values, higher retail footfall and attractiveness for leisure pursuits. THE CHALLENGE The integration of trees into sustainable WSUD systems (water sensitive urban design) involves balancing the soil structure sustainability with the health of the Canopy interception on a small scale trees. The perils of soil erosion, water contamination and prolonged waterlogging associated with excessive rain precipitation must all be accounted for in the sustainability equation. Having researched for many years the interaction of trees, water and the urban environment, GreenBlue Urban Ltd are uniquely qualified to advise on best practice in tree pit design. Urban planners, engineers and architects rely on GBU for sustainable and cost effective solutions to meet complex project situations. Collaboration with the urban water research department of the University of Abertay has established GreenBlue Urban in the forefront of storm water tree pit design. This is bearing fruit in the development of multi benefit modular tree pit packages combining hydraulic predictability, low maintenance and reduced costings. Contact their Technical Sales Team to discuss the new ArborFlow 100 high performance tree pit system or to arrange for an urban tree planting CPD with SUDS emphasis.
6 Economic benefits of trees in the urban environment Aesthetically, the benefits of urban tree planting are obvious. The economic benefits may be less understandable but are real and measurable. Trees welcome people to retail areas In December 2005, Kathleen Wolf published a paper in The Journal of Forestry entitled Business District Streetscapes, Trees and Consumer Response. This multistudy research programme explored the impact of trees on shopper s perception, willingness to pay for parking, time spent in retail areas and even whether shoppers would pay more for the same product when purchased in tree lined shopping districts. In all their studies, patronage variables scored consistently and significantly higher for the tree lined areas even when compared with tidy, quality, non-tree lined areas. Patronage approval ratings increased steadily with the presence of trees. And images having well-tended, large trees received the highest preference ratings, even though plants obscured other elements (such as historic buildings) GreenBlue Urban are experiencing a significant increase in demand for versatile modular tree pit packages. The long term benefits of full canopy urban afforestation are helping local
authorities and landlords to reverse the drift from town centres to out-of-town shed estates. Radical town centre revivals, measured in footfall and trading results, have followed many re-paving and tree planting projects. For both new and regenerative urban open space projects as well as the up-grading of existing precincts these products are providing trees with sustainable soil environments. Their adaptable modular formations provide adequate high quality soil environment without compromising the complex labyrinth of subpavement utility runs. The new GBU1013 linear tree pit package is engineered to maximise the long term growing environment in street build-outs and traffic calming zones plus the structural strength to support heavy traffic loadings. On-going collaborative research by GBU and university teams aims to ensure that the evolving challenges presented by urban environment up-grading become opportunities through innovative solutions. Imagine this scene without the trees? 7 Innovative Tree Root Protection Green Grid Systems is an innovative company based in the UK that specifically caters to the most common problem developers, architects and engineers have when working on projects with existing trees facing potential damage from construction work. Damage to tree roots from laying new surfaces and putting additional weight on the root area can lead to substantial cost to developers as Local Authorities have the right to impose fines if the existing tree roots are not given sufficient protection. The Green Grid root bridge provides a continuous protective barrier over the tree roots allowing a surface that can be retro-fitted into new developments without damage to existing trees. It offers a loadable under body and directly protects the existing root range from harmful pressure and compression. This meets both local authority demands for tree care and engineer s demands for a low cost, reliable solution. Beyond purely financial benefits the GreenGrid Systems root bridge also opens up a whole new world of design potential as designers are now able to produce many more designs taking into account existing trees. Customers value the aesthetic dimension this adds to project ideas allowing design teams to have an edge on competition when presenting designs. Please find out more at our website Greengridsystems.com or alternatively call 01962 882020.
8 Successful tree planting guide out now IT S HERE! THE NEW EDITION 8 Our New 250 page product book is filled with the latest information and products to improve the success rate of urban tree planting. It is an invaluable resource for; Landscape Architects, Planners, Tree Officers, Contractors and Engineers. Contact us now, to request your copy. Tel: 01580 830 800 Email: enquiries@ Our mission at GreenBlue Urban is to improve the quality of life for all who live or work in built up environments, by facilitating the successful establishment of sustainable, green infrastructure in urban spaces. GreenBlue Urban Limited are now registered with Constructionline GreenBlue Urban Limited are registered with Supply Chain Sustainability School GreenBlue Urban Northpoint, Compass Park Junction Road, Bodiam TN32 5BS Sales and Service: 01580 830 800 E-mail: enquiries@