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!