Greening our urban areas is now certain to be a key part of combating climate change and making cities more liveable places. Green roofs are sure to be an essential part of this process.

On sheds, garages, apartment and office blocks, commercial premises, public buildings, the possibilities are immense. And the range of options is incredibly diverse too, from easy-care green matting (usually described as ‘extensive systems) through to full-blown roof gardens that can mimic public parks at ground level (‘intensive systems’).

The Green Roof Centre in Sheffield is a new facility which will serve as an independent research and demonstration hub, the purpose being to get the word out there. Wendy Bussey of the Green Roof Centre says: ‘we’ve been inspired by international examples to create a facility that can support and promote the uptake of green roofs in the UK through demonstrating their benefits and potential’.

Dr Nigel Dunnett from the UK Green Roof Forum explains ‘Green Roofs are essential to creating green cities and represent a fantastic way for planners, landscape architects and architects to incorporate plants and the benefits that they bring into what would otherwise be wasted space’.

Sheffield, promoting itself as the greenest city in the UK, is considering legislation that would require all medium and large new-builds to incorporate green roofs as part of their design. This is already a statutory requirement in Germany. The city itself already has 25 major new green roofs agreed by the planners. These include apartment schemes, student accommodation, and a growing number of the city’s bus shelters boast their own green canopy.

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