Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living

Whether in the urban jungle or a pastoral countryside, a hard rooftop presents an opportunity to improve drainage, increase biodiversity, and create microhabitats. With 40 small-scale examples of green roofs, from sheds to houses, this informative manual will inspire and inform. The authors, hailing from the U.S. and U.K., bring together a wealth of professional, academic, and personal experience in living roofs. This lavishly illustrated book reviews the basics of design and installation%E2%80%94building structure, weight of the roof, drainage, growing medium, irrigation, and plants%E2%80%94with the bulk of the pages devoted to real-life examples. The projects include a garden shed that was beautified by Dunnett with a variety of flowering plants, a city rooftop retreat, and a commercial-scale organic farm in New York City. Structures from the U.K., New Zealand, and a host of locations within the U.S. demonstrate that green roofing is a flexible technology that can be applied to a range of climates and serve many purposes. For homeowners, landscape architects, and engineers, this is a great overview of projects that won't break the bank. (May)