You're Barking Up The Right Tree!

Hello friends, strangers, and/or any victims of finals. Do you own a dog? If you do, you may have a dog house too. Even if you don't have a dog, you'll like this:

Green roofs: helping make the world a better place for man & man's best friend. 

As you can see, this dog house has a green roof. This ingenious structure was designed and created by Alejandro Pijuan (company: JohnsonFain). The "LiveRoof" green roof modules were provided by FloraSourceLtd. 

One of the major advantages of implementing a green roof is that it regulates the temperature of the building, or in this case, dog house, below. Sparky will no longer suffer from heat exhaustion. Or, being that it is winter, he wont be so cold in his humble doggy abode. Aha, but wait, there's more...the green roof will also serve as a mini habitat for wildlife and can even be a mini garden for all the gardening-lovers out there. Mr. Alejandro Pijuan, we applaud you.

UCI x UCLA

Anteaters, I'm sure you are all familiar with the dining area called "BC Cavern" (across from the Science Library). Some people know it as "On The Green". Did you know there is accessible roof space on top of the building? 

My friend from UCLA informed me that his university implemented a green roof on one of their new dining spaces this year. Awesome news for the sustainable community. I went to go check it out today and let me tell you, the resemblance to the BC Cavern area is uncanny. Have a look:

Welcome to UCLA's Green Roof

UCI                          Table Area Below                   UCLA

 UCI                                                                      UCLA

Poor alignment but this is the space above BC Cavern that could potentially be made into a green roof 

 At UCLA, students eat their lunch and study on the green roof. 

The people in the building across the green roof have a great view!

Your thoughts? Do you think you'd hang out on top of BC Cavern if it had a cool green roof? Please send me your feedback via facebook or my email: youCgreen@gmail.com.

More updates to come this further on in the week :) For now, have a splendid rest of the weekend, everyone!

When will it be our turn?

Summer is coming to a scorching end and the new school year is just around the calendar corner. What does this mean? 

It means youCgreen has about 9 months to be completed. Nine months seems like a long time but I know the weeks will whiz by. My late roommate, Teresa, would always wish she could freeze time. Gosh, me too. 

I use chess as a metaphor to explain the project's progress to those who ask about it. I have the players ready and set in place, now it's just a matter of making the right moves...and then...check mate. I've discussed and collaborated with the right people, exchanged ideas, sent emails...so far, it's looking good. 

On a relevant side note, I came across an article about a recent ( and huge) green roof installation at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Photo provided by www.lhdesignbuild.com

Read about it HERE.  

When will it be our turn? I hope everyone's staying cool in this crazy heat. I bet you have your AC blasting! You know a green roof would significantly help those rising costs. Just sayin'.  

Our "Deer" Friends at Insadong

This past weekend some friends and I went to an area in Seoul called Insadong. It's a very tourist concentrated area many of the shops and vendors were selling similar items...Korea-related trinkets & souvenirs, popular foods & snacks, you know the deal. I still enjoyed the area though, especially because I found a whole row of green roofs :)

Always remember to look up

If you are familiar with Irvine, you'll know that the city is very...immaculate. Every public landscape is always perfectly trimmed and tidy, not a leaf out of place. I think because Insadong is a more free-spirited-art-inspired area, the unruly look of the green roof is welcomed and appreciated by the visitors and shop-owners alike. I'm not too sure how well a green roof like this would do at UC Irvine...or Irvine, in general. Hmm, of course, this is something important to keep in mind. Anywho, what they've done is really cool.

Our deer friends

Cute, huh? This kind of reminded me of the green roof at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California: 

A little more "Type A personality" green roof than the "Type B personailty" green roof in Insadong. Definitely no deer here. Still though, a green roof at a downtown shopping area.

What makes both of these green roofs awesome is that they are both easily visible to the public eye. It makes shoppers and visitors curious. 

"Hmm, what is that? Greenery on top of a building?" 

Which then leads to making shopping and visitors more AWARE. They should have signs  out on display explaining what the green roof is and what it does for the building!

How do you say green roof in Korean?

Ah, yes. Finally some lone-coffee-shop time to update. I’m currently situated at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea to explore, wander, and learn. I'm posting about my green roof discovery for the sake of youCgreen, so please, may I have your attention for just a few more minutes!

A couple weeks ago, I was looking out my friend's dorm window and I noticed a random patch of green. Hmm, how peculiar.

Do you see it?

Could it be? A green roof sighting in Korea? I was so excited when I saw this since I had already been planning to further my green roof research in Korea. I didn't expect to stumble upon my research so easily. I soon made my way to the ladder that would lead me to the green. 

It was a little silly of me to think I could climb up without being stopped by authority... Although I was prevented in my first and second attempt, I made it to the top on the third. Unfortunately, I couldn't investigate as much as I wanted since it was dark. I wasn't able to see how deep the soil was or what types of plants were used. However, I do know there is no irrigation system installed since it rains and snows here often. 

A bit dark, but here it is

Day-time bird's eye view

This green roof is planted over a laundry room. Smart planning since laundry rooms tend to get hot and stuffy so quickly. I have several weeks left here so I'm eager to further my research. Korea's already cooler than I thought. Hoorah for green roofs!

My second green roof sighting: 

In a more natural setting

Notice that this one blends in with its environment more inconspicuously. This happens over time when seeds from surrounding foliage blows onto the rooftop soil. From the withered look of the building's material, this guy's been around for quite a while. 

So, what does this mean? It means UC Irvine could be the second university that I've attended that uses green roofs.  

I have my hopes up high so you should too!

Green, green, green. I'm C-ing more green!

Greetings, earthlings. So far, summer's looking pretty pretty and pretty green. I just visited the green roof at Partner Engineering, an "environmental due diligence" company, in Torrance. 

They specialize in pollution testing, soil testing, and energy efficiency so having a green roof fits right into their agenda. A little background: they were originally located in El Segundo but needed a larger facility and thus, they began their search. When they found out that this building, in particular, was supposed to have a 3rd story they decided it was perfect for a green roof and so, perfect for them too. Apparently, the 3rd story construction was never completed but, this still meant that the building was structurally sound enough to support a lot of roof top weight. In 2011, they met their goal to create a livable, presentable space unique to the south bay area to demonstrate green technology. 

A cheery fellow named Michael promptly guided me to the green roof on this sunny afternoon. I was pleased with my experience since my visit to UCLA did not go accordingly.  The rooms on the second story adjacent to the green roof are walled with windows so employees get to enjoy the lovely view while working. 

Imagine if this was just a barren, empty roof top. Dreadful. Partner Engineering utilizes the green roof to its full environmental and aesthetic potential. Not only does it provide all the energy conservation aspects, but it also serves as an outdoor cafeteria, lounge, and space for company parties. How fun!

Outdoor furniture to complement the green roof amenity

I came across some faux critters while scoping out the landscape. Michael explained that they were one of the employees' children's toys from the last company gathering. 

I also came across some real critters...bees! Yes, a little more scary than rubber tarantulas. Don't worry though, none of the employees have been bothered or stung. This green roof creates a habitat for wildlife...yet another check off the list of green roof benefits. 

Where's Waldo? Look very, very closely 

The succulents are watered with a standard, timed sprinkler system. The architects diverted some of the pipes to meet the irrigation needs. 

Hello, sprinkler head

Sprinkler heads lined along the perimeter

This green roof doesn't need much watering since it's an extensive green roof. This means it is only 2.5 inches deep and requires very low maintenance. If you'd like to know more about this project email me at <<<youcgreen@gmail.com>>>

One last thing I wanted to mention..."solatubes". 

Sola-what??? Solatube!

This is my second favorite feature of the building after the green roof, of course. They're similar to sky lights, but the difference is they can bend and direct sunlight. Such a simple concept to control something so powerful. 

Solatube fixture to light a hallway

Here you can see what looks like several light bulbs...but actually, its the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. 

Let there be light!

Here are a couple more solatube fixtures to light a room on the first floor. Zero electricity used and so much money saved. These are implemented throughout the building. 

So after this visit, I decided I need solatubes and a green roof in my future home. You should consider it too. I love the endless potential of green innovation! 

Thank you so very much, Michael, for the tour and thank you for reading my blog, whoever you are. I truly appreciate your support. That's all for now!

The Lost City of Atlantis...?

I wasn't going to post about my recent failed green roof adventure...but I decided I should because I want everyone to be part of this journey.

I'd been meaning to visit the green roof on the Public Affairs Building at UCLA for a few weeks and finally found time to do so. I was looking forward to seeing this beauty ever since I read about it online. My goal was to gather ideas regarding their irrigation and drainage system to apply to my youCgreen project. 

As I climbed the stairs to the PAB roof, I became more and more anxious...images of what it could possibly look like were racing through my mind. And then...BOOM. Disappointment. Or lack of boom, I should say.

You know what though, it's okay. I won't let this discourage me. There are so many other green roofs to research. Check out some listings HERE. I've already contacted some sites so hopefully I will see one in the coming week. 

UCLA, it's been real. Til next time!