The International Green Roof Association (IGRA) offers the platform for the worldwide promotion and dissemination of ecological Green Roof ideas.
Greenroofs.com is the international Green Roof industry’s resource and online information portal
Residential Real Estate has taught us that when money is not limiting, people choose to buy a nicely landscaped home up on a hill looking down at water surrounded by trees. Really, we shouldn’t be surprised when there are reports of loft buildings with accessible green roofs filling up faster and maintaining higher occupancy than the typical urban lofts. The opportunity for more communal living activities is a common response to “why do you like the green roof on your building”? Think of the ROI enjoyed by building owners with green roofs who like 909 Walnut in Kansas City, MO enjoy a 90% occupancy in a 75% market!
People who work in biophilic buildings have reported higher job satisfaction, lower job stress, less sick days, and pride in their workplace for the building and the environmental message it conveys. How much are these factors worth to your business? We hope to continually build the evidence for the immediate ROI of investing in green. We need your help to bring all the evidence to this site. Will you join us?
Though much of the evidence is anecdotal observation, we cannot afford to ignore the possibility that nature can do as much or more than therapy to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Richard Louv believes that lack of contact with nature may be responsible for the dramatic rise in ADHD in recent years. Several studies have shown a correlation between outdoor views and performance in schools. Does this not make a more compelling case for bringing green roofs and other aspects of Biophilic Design to schools? What do you think? Please tell us on the blog.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2006. ISBN: 9781565125223.
Wells, Nancy. M. 2000. At Home with Nature: Effects of “Greenness” on Children’s Cognitive Functioning. Environment and Behavior (32)6 775-795.
Ventilation principles from termite mounds that naturally cool buildings without air conditioning, super tape developed by studying geckos, and a company’s transformation inspired from mountains are examples of the fountain of profitable innovation possible when we restore our connection with nature! What inspires you? What if scientists and engineers could take a break with nature and come back with a solution? If you have examples, or a story of your own please share on our blog.
Research has demonstrated significant benefits from nature contact. Roger Ulrich in 1984, showed that simply viewing nature thru a window versus looking at a brick wall reduced the recovery time from surgery, resulted in less need for pain medication, and fewer negative notes in patient’s charts. Nature contact more recently has shown reduction of stress for hospital patients, and staff which resulted in lower staff turnover, increased patient satisfaction, and significantly more admissions. Even longevity of seniors living in care facilities has been associated with their access to walk able green spaces. If you are a health care provider, we would like to explore with you how biofilic design may help you differentiate yourself among health care providers.
Twenty eight high rise low income housing buildings in Chicago demonstrate the strong calming effect of nature contact. Half of the buildings had landscaping and access to green space and half did not. Tenants were randomly assigned to one or the other based on availability. After 5 years , there were significantly less domestic and property violence and more communal relationships in the apartments with access to green space. Residents of lofts with a green roof in Kansas City site the communal living opportunities as one reason for their preference that results in a higher occupancy (90% in a 73% market).
