City of London Green City Briefings – Green Roofs and Walls – an extra-dimensional approach to city greening

AIPH, in collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, presents the City of London Green City Briefings – a series of 8 webinars that present compelling evidence and examples of the power of ‘living green’ in delivering multiple solutions to city challenges.

Innovative thinking of horizontal and vertical spaces enables retrofitting living green into city infrastructure, delivering solutions to the impacts of climate change, supporting local biodiversity, and improving the visual urban landscape. This briefing reports on implementation and planning of green roof and walls in response to legislation and financial incentives that support greater uptake.

Watch the webinar on demand

MC: Daniela Rizzi, ICLEI

Daniela Rizzi is an expert in architecture, urban design and landscape. She graduated from the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at University of São Paulo, and received her PhD in urban landscape and planning at the Technical University of Munich. As a Senior Officer for Nature-Based Solutions and Biodiversity at ICLEI Europe, she promotes the planning and implementation of nature-based solutions in cities to face complex environmental, social and economic challenges, contributing to tangible improvements in global sustainability. Leading work packages and/or tasks in European-funded projects, which involve millions of euros in investment, she has been engaging in urban living labs and applied research to raise the impact of nature-based solutions, contributing to mainstreaming, awareness-raising and capacity-building for local governments, practitioners, civil society organisations, academia and SMEs.

Mr Dusty Gedge, President Federation of European Green Roofs and Walls

Dusty a consultant with the Green infrastructure consultancy (GIC), working in London, UK and Europe. He is the current President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations (EFB) and founder of Livingroofs.org, and a board member of GRO – the UK green roof trade body.

Though he has a particular interest in biodiversity and urban nature, his work in the built environment also focuses on climate resilience and the promotion of greener cities through multi-functional green infrastructure.

In 2021 he was appointed Industry Expert-in-Residence at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

Mr Kelvin Kan, Principal Architect & Facade Consultant

Graduated from University of Dundee in 1987, Kelvin worked in London and Singapore for some prominent architectural firms and embarked into façade industry before establishing his architectural practice and façade & glass consultancy firms.

With more than 25 years’ experience and over 12 years as a design tutor in National University of Singapore, School of Architecture, Kelvin developed an unique skill set to integrate and implement architecture, interiors, functionality and landscape design holistically from concept to completion.

Kelvin strongly believes that beauty is in the details and HOW it will transcend and value add to its outcome beyond Owners’ expectations and building’s lifespan.

13:00 – Welcome

13:05 – Dusty Gedge

Green roofs and walls are the future of cities, and the speaker will draw on his experience in the City of London, Greater London, UK as a designer policy maker and technical advisor. In addition his experience of his industry across Europe and the Globe will show why and how vegetation on buildings can make a significant contribution to climate adaptation, sustainability, and biodiversity.

Generally vegetation and soil has been seen as an aesthetic contribution to the city environment. However, this talk will show that it is the environmental performance of soil and vegetation should be our starting point as we retrofit and build our way out of the climate emergency.

13:25 – Kelvin Kan

Greening the Concrete Jungle

In this talk, Kelvin will discuss two case study buildings and answer:

• • HOW greeneries have been incorporated
  • WHAT are the benefits of “greening the building”?
  • WHY is plants important to Developers and Occupants?
  • WHEN is the “best time” to incorporate greeneries?
  • WHO should “control the design”?

13:45 – Q&A

14:00 – Session close

Session 4: The intersection between built infrastructure, wellbeing, and nature – 13th July

​Quantifiable benefits of incorporating plants in office interior and exterior landscapes are revealed in neurological and physiological studies. Economic studies illustrate significant savings through enhanced productivity and creativity, and reduced absenteeism. In this briefing the opportunities, benefits, and processes of creating an effective, highly desirable built urban environment are discussed in the context of cities as a healthy human environment. Find out more.

Session 5: Urban Heat Island Effect and Urban Forests – 14th September

Planting trees in cities is a high profile activity reported around the globe. Trees certainly have a significant contribution to make in reducing the UHI effect, and reducing the serious health impacts of this phenomenon that has resulted from converging issues of climate change and increased built infrastructure. In this briefing the merits of trees are presented with attention to the importance of design, construction and maintenance in delivering benefits. Find out more.

Session 6: The Critical Dynamics of City Biodiversity and Global Conservation – 20th October

​Cities are gaining recognition as identifiable ecosystems, and play an increasingly important role in global conservation. This briefing considers local action to enhance biodiversity, links with city-wide ecological corridors, and interactions with the wider landscape that direct city planning and growth. Find out more.

Session 7: Air Quality in Cities: the realistic and real benefits of plants  – 9th November

Local improvements in air quality delivered by urban greening as climate change adaptation measures run alongside climate change mitigation strategies to reduce air pollution from emissions. This briefing focusses on providing clarity on what can be expected from living green within a multi-faceted approach to managing air pollution in cities. Find out more.

Session 8: London Report on Climate Action – 7th December

Find out more.