Creation of a shared Living Roof on top of The Office Group's building on Gray's Inn Road, which provides serviced offices for 35 small businesses. A break out space for tenants of the offices to use whenever they want. They are able to hold meetings there, or simply enjoy their lunch space. It’s also an outdoor classroom for children and young people in the local area. Educational charity Global Generation is involving one secondary school, one vocational training group and two community groups in art and conservation projects to create the living roof and as a result a living building. Livingroofs.org has provided consultancy on biodiversity and the creation of a base plate of mats and aggregate.
Reason for Green Roof
• To provide a catalyst for taking education out of the classroom into real life situations and as a consequence change how a business can relate to the communities they work in.
• To develop a creative space that supports the bio-diversity of Kings Cross and encourages people to work together
• Establishing an educational model to inspire and inform other school business partnerships, particularly related to “Green or Living Roof Development” – which is a constraint on much of the Kings Cross Development
• To evaluate and address climate change issues, through monitoring programmes i.e.; potential / actual energy saving, awareness raising.
Type of Roof
Flat traditional asphalt
Size of Green Roof
Approximately 120m2
Details of Green Roof Element
Build up
Use of secondary aggregates including recycled glass as bed of patio area. This was laid with log paving. All aspects of the work e.g. welding of safety fence, laying of aggregate, seed sowing and arts projects were done through a workshop process by children and young people from one school and three out of school groups.
Seeded with wild flower mix
Design
Livingroofs.org provided the design of the base-plate for the roof; Global Generation is developing the design in collaboration with children and businesses occupying the building
Comments
This roof provides amenity space for office workers. ‘The offices have enjoyed a faster take up of space than in our other buildings. This is directly attributable to having the roof with a number of tenants stating they preferred us to our competition because of the green roof, with some even enduring long commuting journeys’ - Charlie Green, Director of The Office Group, owners and managers of the building
“I never realised you could do things like this on an office building, it makes me think of all the things we could do in London” - 14 year old Global Generation participant.
“I support this exciting project as a good example of how we should demonstrate the multiple benefits that living roofs offer to London, including their capacity to raise knowledge and awareness” - Ken Livingstone
Funding / Support
Money for the roof installation and education work by:
The JJ Trust, The Mark Leonard Trust, JE Hyde, The Office Group, The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Camden’s Agenda 21 Grant Programme.
