I am so excited to be bringing vertical green to a new coffee shop on the main street of Downtown Disney. The project’s primary designer has been so exciting to work with on this project.
Interestingly, and a challenge to my native plant approach was a sign hanging prominently near the entrance of Disney’s Main Street walkways. Walt Disney’s words “I want visitors to see something here they don’t see at home” made me first stop and consider my selection of plants. If our native plants are what we see everyday then how was I to incorporate these into the roof and wall? Fortunately I was quickly able to reconcile this thought with Walt’s words. It would be all about presentation.
People are not used to seeing any plants on top roofs and up walls. So with that issue behind me I began collecting background data from the site. Ugh. Five to ten meter per second winds shoot across Lake Buena Vista’s collection of open water bodies and there is little to no (heavy on the no) shade. Reminds me of a convection oven, high broil.
After running our plant selection model time after time after time we ended up with two types of grasses, one a native, dwarf Fakahatchee, Tripscaum floridanum and the other an herb, lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus. If you have followed my green roof blog you will know I like to use grasses on green roofs because of their unique photosynthesis structure, one promoting drought tolerance and faster growth habit than most succulents.
Using grasses on a living roof can be tricky though. There are fire standards to be met, as well as wind uplift requirements. Details on the living wall will be shared on a future post.
What a fun opportunity to feed many birds with one roof (better than killing two birds with one rock). There are so many benefits that come with adding vertical green to buildings. Not only can visitors come to a place of fun and enjoyment, they can also hopefully be inspired to bring some of these ideas home with them.
By covering the coffee shop’s roof with grasses, sustainability can be expressed in a number of ways. First, habitat is created for a number of pollinators. Habitat is so important for wayfaring wildlife across the asphalt jungle, especially on hot afternoons!
This Florida Green Roof will provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators!
In addition to habitat, living roofs attenuate and clean storm water runoff. Clean water is critical for Disney, all of Florida and the rest of our nation. Green roofs and living walls are sometimes the very first line of defense in protecting water quality.
Florida Green Roofs attenuate runoff and clean storm water, protecting water bodies for wildlife and people
Of course green roofs cool our cities. Urban heat island effect can quickly turn a neighborhood into an unbearable concrete heating pad during those long summer afternoons. Plants on roofs mitigate rapid heat gain and actually work very similar to air conditioning via their transpiration processes. We typically see a difference of about sixty degrees Fahrenheit between a typical roof and a green roof.
Green Roofs are so important to Florida and other areas because of their cooling effects
We all know the challenges our world faces today with greenhouse gasses. Green roofs provide a significant amount of fresh oxygen every day all the while sequestering carbon and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. I calculated that the cafe’s living roof would provide enough oxygen for three or four people to live on each day. In and of itself that is not a lot but it is a start. If every building on Disney Main Street were to follow this example then there would be fresh oxygen for hundreds of people.
Green Roofs provide fresh oxygen daily and sequester carbon, battling greenhouse gasses
Cradle to cradle sustainability through recycling is important too and on this project completes an interesting circle of life. Coffee beans are grown in areas of fresh air. These beans are ground for customer’s coffee. The coffee grounds become compost and are given to the green roof plants in measured applications. The green roof plants grow and provide all the sustainability related benefits described above. The fresh, clean air then is available once more for the new generation of coffee beans. Truly this is a sustainable cycle in many ways.
Cradle to cradle sustainability in Green Roofs through recycling grounds to compost
The mechanical system is installed. Soil media and plants are next. Look for an update and photos of the planted roof and wall next month! You can also always follow the progress and see more details on the Green Roof Blog here. And also be sure to look at all the lovely native blanketflower photos I have added in my MetroVerde Gaillardia gallery here – I so love this wildflower.
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