Raising The Roof - The ‘rising’ popularity of urban roof terrace gardens

With space in our towns and cities at a premium, the only way is up! And an increasing number of architects, property owners, and city planners are looking to repurpose our roofs.

A roof garden and urban planting has many benefits that you simply can't see! These range from economic, environmental and societal.

Globally there are some outstanding examples of successful and staggering roof gardens. For example, the Rockefeller Centre Roof Gardens in New York. These spaces are home to 2000 trees and shrubs. Basically, it is now more possible than ever to create a green oasis high above the hustle and bustle of the city.

The environmental benefits of a well-designed roof garden are numerous, green planting provides a buffer for rainwater and helps to prevent water overflow and flooding. A roof garden can delay the discharge of water to our drains and sewage systems.

City planting also purifies air and helps to mitigate the harmful effects of pollution. A green rooftop garden contributes to an improvement in air quality as plants convert CO2 into Oxygen.

As we know plants also absorb sunlight, 50% is absorbed and 30% reflected; this helps to create a cooler and more pleasant climate. Overall, a 3-degree drop is expected.

As well as the global climate benefits, well-designed and considered roof spaces can increase the value of a property by 10-25%. Offering a desirable external space will be an influential factor when attracting residents and staff.

Living and working in a green environment has been shown to lower levels of stress and reduce rates of depression and anxiety, and amazingly greenery encourages a faster recovery from illness.

So, it’s clear to see that utilising this valuable roof space is the way to go and Bailey Street Furniture Group have many furniture options, planting solutions and even pergolas to deliver an appealing and attractive space.

The Loop family of rotationally moulded polyethylene furniture can add a fun approach to your scheme. It has an innovative and lightweight modular design that allows for easy manoeuvring within your roof garden space.

No fixings are required as the range can be filled with water or sand to stabilise and safely hold in place without having to drill into the surface.

The Loop range provides a vibrant and imaginative way to create unique and inviting spaces with the option of in-built lighting to further elevate the environment and ambience at night.

With increased temperatures forecast globally, it is important to factor this in the design of the roof space to make it accessible on the hottest of days. Pergolas offer shade and a frame for creeping plants to grow as well as providing airflow. BSFG offer a robust and refined design, that can be used to frame spaces and create social nooks within a roof space.

The structure as standard is available in hand-finished Sapele hardwood with a galvanised and powder-coated steel frame. There is also a range of coordinated furniture elements to match, including sun loungers, seating, litter bins and picnic tables.

Planters play a key role in optimising the space to deliver a successful roof terrace scheme.

As well as the environmental benefits planting can elevate the surroundings on the roof making it an appealing place for residents. The Inspira modular planting system is an adaptable planter that can fit seamlessly into any space and the design also allows for integrated seating in a number of styles.  

Planning your rooftop garden takes time, and selecting the right furniture and plants is crucial.

A great example is Edge Hill Library Roof Terrace at Edge Hill University. This roof terrace was designed to not only increase valuable space but also to add seating and landscaping to encourage the students to use the library in a sociable way.

The innovative £26 million building at Edge Hill University, named Catalyst, contains the University’s Library, Careers and Student Services functions within its contemporary 8,000 square metre space.

Numerous options for outdoor furniture were discussed with the Milieu design team and the end client, with the final palette agreed, based on a mixture of design, cost and flexibility. The FGP range was selected due to the coordinated design, including seating & litter bins. A key feature was the use of anodised aluminium frames used with the FGP range, which offers a tough and durable finish, due to it being through-coloured and not painted.

The design of the roof terrace planting will greatly assist in the promotion of biodiversity within the green campus and offers significant views of the surrounding countryside.

To find out more about Bailey Street Furniture Groups roof terrace projects visit our Case Studies page or contact the team on 01625 322888 or email enquiries@bsfg.co.uk