City by the Bay

A view from Greensulate's project in San Francisco

As the planting seasons for green roofs pass in the New York area, the Greensulate team travels to locations where we can make an impact through the winter. Areas of the U.S. including California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida are ideal for green roof installation into February. Green roofs are a tour de force from coast to coast and Greensulate strives to contribute to the movement as much as possible, no matter where the project may be. These systems are so versatile and the solution for a number of environmental issues everywhere you look, there’s no question why we’re installing at a national (soon to be international) level. Greensulate traveled west in November to install a bi-level green roof at a large Victorian style residence.

Our project was located in the rolling hills of the Castro District in the Eureka Valley of San Francisco. The larger of the two green roof areas, which covered the entire roof space of the main house, was four stories high; the smaller was located above a detached carriage house one story up at the rear of the property. The green roofs totaled 2,200 square feet and the system consisted of lightweight pre-vegetated trays with a 2” depth. All of our supplies were sourced locally, including the vegetation, and the end result was a beautiful view both for the residents and all the surrounding homes uphill. Our team will return in February to start phase two of the project, which involves a 2,400 s.f. green wall that wraps around the residence from top to bottom as well as expanding the tree wells on the sidewalk for additional plants.

In San Francisco, much of the combined sewer system – so-called because it treats both sewage and storm water – is between 70 and 100 years old. Many parts of the system need to be repaired or replaced and green roofs are the best solution for storm water retention and keeping pollutants out of the bay. The city recently won the World Green Building Council’s “Best Green Building Policy” Award in December for requiring all new construction be built to strict green building standards. Greensulate plans to travel back often to install many more green roofs and walls for years to come.