In celebration of honoring Earth Day 2015 and our planet’s ecology through healthy, regenerative design, we are highlighting each of the 23 awesome videos from our 30+ spectacular speakers from Greenroofs.com‘s Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2015 ~ Connecting the Planet with Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design, running through May 31st.

Our hope is that by familiarizing you more with each presentation and its particular benefits, you will be enticed to join us during our wonderfully easy-to-navigate online Virtual Summit!  And, along with the speakers’ input, I will identify 5 Key Learning Objectives or “takeaway” bullet points that each video presentation provides to participants.

Today we are spotlighting the collaborative presentation “Biosolar Roofs” from two of our favorite people in the world of biodiversity and greenroofing: the rather demure but passionate researcher Nathalie Baumann (who participated in our inaugural Virtual Summit 2011 on the Panel Session “Biodiversity and Greenroofs” video) and the incomparable all around greenroof campaigner, Dusty Gedge (who also participated in 2011 and was a Keynote at our Virtual Summit 2013).

It seems like we have known Dusty forever (well, in the greenroof world – since about 2002) and he has contributed several articles here on Greenroofs.com over the years, plus we get to see him every few years at conferences around the globe (and share a beer or two) – plus he’s shown us many London roofs, including those designed for birds, spiders, and invertebrates.  And in 2005 we scampered atop several biodiversity greenroofs in Basel and across the surrounding canton with Nathalie, showing us her very important work with ground nesting birds and other species.

Combining solar and greenroofs has been fairly common in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria for several years, and the news of France’s new proposed* law regarding requiring greenroofs and/or solar on new commercial buildings has created even more buzz within Europe and beyond.  *In Dusty’s Q & A Session from this video, he explains how The Guardian jumped the gun on its reporting, but that the French vote has a lot of work in front of it and should be finalized sometime in mid-late May.

The Biosolar Roof Project is a Leonardo Transfer of Innovation project that will undertake a series of pilot training projects in partner countries.  The project aims to link the SMART CITES agenda with the Green infrastructure and Ecosystem Services approach to cities.  Filmed in UK and Switzerland in April, 2015 with both colleagues, their video presentation celebrates the work of an EU funded project called Up on the Roof.

Basel, Switzerland.  “Nathalie Baumann, MSc, (BioGeograph/Social Anthropologist) is a Research Associate at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Life Sciences and Facility Management in Wädenswil. She is a research fellow / research associate with her research field in urban greening and urban ecology; Nathalie is a member of research groups on urban ecology, institute environment, and natural resources.

She accomplished her Master’s of Sciences degree at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Afterwards she worked on different projects of NGO’s like WWF Switzerland in the context of River Ecology, Biodiversity Assessment, Urban Ecology and Ecology of ground nesting birds.” ~ Read her complete bio here from the VS2015.

London, UK.  “Dusty Gedge is a green roof campaigner and designer, who has actively promoted green roofs in the UK since 1997. He has designed a number of seminal roofs and helped develop the London Green Roof Policy. He is also the current President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations (EFB), and sits on the EU’s working group for the green Infrastructure and ecosystem services policy. His work in Europe over the last few years working on a Pan-European green roof course and he is currently advising on a project on green roofs, pollinators and solar power – Biosolar Roofs.

Dusty is co-author of Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living, 2011 and DIY Guide to Green & Living Roofs, among other publications. In 2004 Dusty co-founded Livingroofs.org, a non-profit organisation established to promote, advise upon and seek research into green roofs and similar structures within the context of urban and rural regeneration.” ~ Read his complete bio here from the VS2015.

You will benefit from these 5 Key Learning Objectives as Nathalie Baumann and Dusty Gedge share on the subject:

1) Biosolar roof agenda weaves architects, ecologists, and engineers together; the aims of the Biosolar Roof Program include producing a greenroof that will hold solar panels while ensuring the interface also benefits nature conservation and biodiversity, in particular all types of pollinators;

2) How we can successfully combine and link the production of renewable energy (high tech) and the delivery of biodiversity with greenroofs (low tech) in urban areas together with the need to make global policies that are combined for cities to create a win-win situation.  European policies are addressed; 

3) Case studies of the large green/solar roof on Messe Hall in Basel where colleagues improved the low profile sedum roof with various, specific organic and inorganic elements to increase biodiversity by creating micro habitats; the largest greenroof in Lausanne, Switzerland recently covered in pvs with interesting design features; the London Olympics (2012) Media Centre greenroof which had its own Biodiversity and PV Action Plan and which species the action plan targeted successfully; 

4) Ecologists have created a plant list for specific areas of the pv panel: front, back, and underneath for a diversity of plants and habitats of plant associations;

5) Build accredited training programs that will develop workforce skills to install and maintain biosolar roofs; recognize elements of biosolar roof design that have been combined badly, the importance of maintenance, and the need for technicians to have plant knowledge.

Watch the 19:58 video presentation “Biosolar Roofs” now playing at the Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2015.  If you have not yet registered (only $49 or 25), please do:

Registration fee:

$49 – special discounted pricing;

$25 for students/faculty and government professionals

All Video Presentations, Q & A Transcripts, & Exhibitor Booths are On Demand +
Networking Live 24/7 through May 31, 2015

Earn CEUs including 10 GRP CEUs.  Register here.

Registration Open through May 31st for the Greenroofs.com Virtual Summit 2015

We hope you will support our work!  Please remember that these video presentations will not be made public for at least one year.

Happy watching and participating,

~ Linda V.

Learn more about these awesome video presentations and their 5 Key Learning Objectives at the Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2015:

“A Green Building Should Look Green, Which Means Hairy!” by Dr. Ken Yeang.

“Biodiversity in the Sky – How Green Roofs Can Be Designed as Wild Life Refuges” by Dr. Stephan Brenneisen.

“Green Roofs to New Cities” by Dr. Diana Balmori.

“A Higher Purpose – Benefits to Human Health and Education through Green Roofing” by Elizabeth Hart.

“Beyond Extensive and Intensive: Defining the Comprehensive Green Roof” by Molly Meyer.