GRC’s track record with Green Infrastructure Audits is second to none. Since the publication Green Infrastructure Audit – Best Practice Guide two weeks ago, there has been a lot of activity across the net on the subject. GRC were involved in all but one of the London GI Audits. So we have the experience, expertise and knowledge to undertake such work as it spreads out of London to other Urban areas.
Green Infrastructure Audits – Streets and Walls
From Victoria to London Bridge, Camden to Vauxhall via Baker Street and the City, GRC has been assessing the ground and roof level situation in London.The purpose is to see where green infrastructure can be retrofitted into streets, walls and roofs. The Audit process involves undertaking ground truthing at street level. Trees, parks, gardens and existing green walls are mapped. Areas at street and wall level that have the potential to have rain gardens or other SUDS features installed are noted. Visualisations are created to provide a vision of what could be achieved. Walls, which have the potential to have green walls installed are also mapped and visualised.
Green Infrastructure – Roofs
At roof level the main thrust of the audits has been to identify the roofs that have the greatest potential for the implementation of green roofs. This is a specific and unique skill set that GRC has. Our 15 years experience of working the field of green roofs means that we can undertake the audit using online mapping facilities like BING or GOOGLE MAPS. The resent inclusion of iMAPS in OS Maverick has meant that this task is even quicker. IMAPS may not be the best maps service for a number of tasks but for auditing roofs, the 3D feature in iMAPS beats all the others. The origin method that GRC uses was develop back in 2007 whilst writing the London Living roofs and walls technical report for the Greater London Authority. This was refined out of our work on biodiversity guidance for Buglife and during the original Audit in Victoria.
Visualization of Embankment Tube Station
The roofs selected with potential are graded in terms of the values that they provide across the green infrastructure and ecosystem services performance criteria. The main focus is biodiversity as roofs that can provide the greatest benefit to biodiversity are likely to store the most water and cool buildings to the maximum within the green roof types. This is not definitive. Roofs will need to assessed structurally, either during the audit or on a case by case basis. However the method means that roofs that have no potential or potential can be dismissed. This means that money is not wasted on roofs that will not be able to greened.
Beyond Audits to Implementing Green Infrastructure
Team London Bridge
London’s First Vertical Rain Garden
Since our involvement in 12 of the 13 green infrastructure audits in London, we have been taking forward our recommendations to implementation. We were involved in the design and installation of two rain garden features in Team London Bridge area. The first was what we believe to London’s first Vertical Rain Garden. This green wall takes roof run off and stores it behind a green wall on Tooley Street. The water is used to irrigate the vegetation and to reduce the run off from the roofs entering the stormwater system. Many social housing units in London have the potential to install small ‘planter rain gardens’ to intercept rain water. Again we think this idea is unique to London and the first 5 were installed on the Tyers Estate back in March this year.
Victoria BID
London’s Latest Green Wall at the Rubens Hotel Victoria.
London’s latest and possibly largest green wall was a result of our work on the Victoria BID Audit. We had identified the Rubens Hotel as a perfect location for a new green wall. Working closely with the Ruben’s Hotel, GRC’s Gary Grant designed and oversaw the implementation of the green wall. Completed in September the wall has been a media favourite covered by national, regional and specialist media outlets. Although not a vertical rain garden the wall is irrigated by rain water that would otherwise continue it’s journey into the stormwater system. The water is stored in specially constructed tanks beside the green wall. Gary’s design is not an off the shelf solution but includes a planting palette that delivers biodiversity through the use of native and non-native plants. We were fortunate to work closely with Treebox Ltd to ensure that the implementation was a success.
Better Bankside
Green Roof for Biodiversity – Flat Iron Square London
We have undertaken two projects in the Better Bankside area. The first was the installation of a ‘woodland understorey’ green roofs on the new veranda roofs at Island Cafe . The planting and specification was drawn up by GRC’s Gary Grant. The project was a design and build undertaken by GRC.
We have undertaken projects in the Better Bankside area, including the installation of a ‘woodland floor’ green roof on the new verandah at Island Cafe . The planting and specification was drawn up by GRC’s Gary Grant. The project was a design and build undertaken by GRC.
GRC has also been advising architects Gort Scott on the planning and design of street rain gardens and a green wall with climbers in the Ewer Street area.
Delivering GI in London through Design and Implementation
This gives a taster of the skills and experience of GRC in partnership with TEC in undertaking green infrastructure audits. As important is our professional experience in actually taking identified projects through to completion. Although we are called a ‘ROOF’ consultancy, we soon be re-branding ourselves the GReen Infrastructure Consultancy in the light of the recent work that we have been involved in . Delivering a whole range of green infrastructure solutions in London.
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