You wouldn't expect a garden to be on the roof of a building. One of the disadvantages to living downtown in a high-rise building is not having a yard. However, many buildings are taking advantage of the rooftop area to include a pool, lounge area, or rooftop garden. I am all for the growing trend of adding a green element to our city's industrial buildings.
When I first heard of rooftop gardens, I expected a few plants and flowers. I was happy to find examples of buildings that transformed their entire rooftop into an actual garden, even including produce. I would love to see more renters have the opportunity to grow fresh fruit and vegetables on their building's rooftop.
Images (from left to right):
- Roof Garden in Manhattan: Civil Eats
- NYC Rooftop Garden: Design Squish Blog
- Eagle Street Rooftop Farm: The Selby
- Milwaukee's First Rooftop Farm: Milwaukee Renaissance
- Rooftop Garden of Glide Memorial Church: New York Times
Images: Civil Eats, New York Times, Milwaukee Renaissance, The Selby, Design Squish Blog
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Does weight become an issue with these gardens?
I'm wondering about several things: How much heat is reflected from the dark rooftop surface, and at what point would your plants be affected by this heat? Would standing water affect the performance or longevity of the rooftop? I assume there are building codes in place to ensure that no one falls off a rooftop: Does their need to be a railing on the building if it's being used in this way?
These are so beautiful and inspiring! I would also love to see ore renters with gardens.
We also just wrote an article about interesting places to put gardens (even with little/no space) but I didn't think of rooftops--thanks for the idea! Read our article here: http://blog.17thandriggs.com/2011/04/trendy-tuesdays-not-so-secret-gardens/
http://blog.17thandriggs.com
I focused my thesis on photographing many of the rooftop farms in NYC. Check it out!
www.feliciawongphotography.com/urbanfarmers
I wish more of the lofts in downtown LA would get in on this. My building as well as the handful of others i have been in are so bare on the roof.
If I had better sun exposure, we would for sure grow vegetables, but instead we have all succulents:
http://www.mintlovesocialclub.com/2011/04/outdoor-deck-before-after.html
@mintlovesocialclub- why not talk to your landlord or co-op board. a great way to get information and possible guidance is to contact the center for regenerative studies at calpoly pomona. http://www.csupomona.edu/~crs/
@embryoconcepts Weight is an issue with rooftop gardens, which is why you find more succulents on "green roofs" than oak trees, but as for gardening food, the weight should not be a problem. If it's safe to walk on, it's probably safe to plant in small pots. Please note that I am NOT an engineer. However, it's probably not safe to plant trees on a rooftop that hasn't been secured for the purpose, not only does the soil required by the tree weigh a lot, but the water trapped by the soil would increase its weight exponentially. Then of course, there's the tree itself collecting carbon year after year, making our lives better, but threatening to crush us to death in our beds :)
@green_planner I suspect from your handle that you are fairly informed on such things already, but I'll risk a response anyway. The more of your roof that's covered in green living stuff, the less dark roof surface you'll have soaking up the blinding heat. But if you only have a few pots here and there, painting the roof surface white would improve your micro-climate immensely - for you and your plants.
Lovely! You should take a look at this terrace and rooftop garden in NYC:
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/
It's pretty amazing.
@green_planner, as far as the rail goes, I think it's a code requirement to have a rail if the roof is accessible. My house has a rooftop deck over the garage and we're required to have rails around the whole thing. The rest of the multi-level roofs on my house are also flat, so I am trying to get them converted to low-maintenance roof gardens. They can spray down a polyurethane product that I want to use to seal it, then a lightweight growth medium, and then a layer of plants. I am doing it for water absorption (Seattle area) and insulation. I cannot easily access them so won't be growing produce or using containers.
The greening of New York City is a grand sight to see. We are proud of our landscaped roof deck overlooking the rolling lushness of Central Park. Favorite thing to do in the summer: pull up a deck chair and watch the sunset over the Hudson!
I have been a NYC garden designer for ten years. Yes, weight is very important in rooftop/terrace plantings. These are all containers that need very specific amounts of space for any plant (including trees), insulation. Proper drainage is incredibly important. Soil mixes are specially designed for lightweight components with continual feedings throughout the growing season for healthy plants.
There are hundreds of things that I do to create the perfect conditions for the proper living plant.
I do high end gardens with custom containers as well as prefab- instant gardens if you are on a budget. www.melissavbateson.com
or i have a blog www.brooklynplanting.blogspot.com