Roof Gardens
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Quotations from Hundertwasser:
‘Grass and vegetation in the city should grow on all horizontal spaces – that is to say, wherever rain and snow falls vegetation should grow, on the roads and on the roofs. The horizontal is the domain of nature and wherever vegetation grows on the horizontal level man is off limits; he should not interfere. I mean taking away territories from nature, which human beings have always done.’
Ok, so i don’t want grass on the streets but why is there so little aspiration to green our rooves in this country. Is this changing without me noticing or are all our apartment blocks still being topped off in felt, asphalt and gravel, it seems such a waste of precious space. Even when we get these glass boxes penthouses on top there’s still a whole roof ontop wasted! I’m currently living on the top storey of a 3 storey extension behind an old georgian townhouse, there’s nothing above me but a flimsy tiled roof, and a view onto other lower gravel rooves, how i’d love to be able to go upstairs and have my own little garden / greenhouse. so achievable yet….. !?
Seen from a greater height there is so much wasted space in our cities, vast areas of grey, that could well be little oasis’ in the city. it’s no wonder living in the city is not seen as an alternative for anyone with green fingers etc, with so little consideration to tranquil private outdoor space for everyone. I often envisage such an achievable subarban environment of ?4? stories where everyone can have their own roofspace pretty much equal to current suburban plots, yet a much more urban environment could exist with this higher density. oh for some change…. is it not recognised as worthy … or not wanted…… or just not on the menu ??? -
As a big fan of Hundertwasser myself, I tried installing a planted roof during construction of a flat roof extension in a domestic setting but was advised that it would require planning permission. The problem is that a planted roof needs occasional access (gardening basically – though most people would be surprised how little is needed), this being the case you are then looking at planning as if for a balconey. You then also need to install railings. You might be able to argue the case for a harness system instead.
Maybe this is too strict an interpretation but I certaintly don’t want my neighbours to feel they can slap a few deckchairs out on their flat roof either!
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