More than just a green roof

Milton Keynes regularly claims top spots in listings for the UK’s greenest city. And with the city council committed to becoming carbon negative by 2050 it looks set to retain these accolades for the foreseeable future.

Part of its strategy relates to green roofs and encouraging developers to incorporate them into as many projects as possible, together with businesses and households converting unused flat roofs into biodiverse spaces.

A leading light in this movement is The Green Roof Project in the city, established by ‘gardens in the sky’ specialist installers Bridgman & Bridgman to demonstrate the potential of green infrastructure in urban settings.

The socially responsible and eco friendly project began life as a ‘meanwhile’ scheme on the roof of former council offices Saxon Court and then moved less than a mile across Milton Keynes to top off the new multi-million pound YMCA building.

A key part of the initiative involved training and certificating YMCA residents in the installation and maintenance of green roofs and enabling them to enjoy the benefits of access to a living roof – growing fruits and vegetables, keeping bees, learning about biodiversity etc, as well as aiding their mental well-being. The project also created traineeships, kickstart and work experience placements.

Success

Instrumental to relocating the green roof was the use of specialist manufacturer Wallbarn’s modular M-Tray system, which contains all elements of a living roof within one-man lift trays. The modularity of the system – which was donated by Wallbarn – enabled Bridgman & Bridgman to lift the trays from Saxon Court and relocate them to YMCA MK with little to no disturbance to the sedum and wildflower plants contained within, a virtual impossibility if using a traditional roll-out green roof.

Chris Bridgman described M-Tray as a ‘large part of the success of the whole story’. He said: “M-Tray allowed us to quickly lift and transport. It is totally unique in that way. You can take M-Tray and turn roofs green overnight.”

WGRD

To mark World Green Roof Day the YMCA dedicated its monthly community lunch to the event, hosting visiting city dignitaries, project suppliers etc on the roof.

Wallbarn directors Julian and Alec Thurbin attended and were able to see first hand how their donated M-Trays have provided colour, texture and habitats for a wide variety of pollinators and insects as well as enhancing the roof top area, which is now considered a ‘safe space’ for YMCA residents to relax.

“We’ve visited The Green Roof Project a number of times, seeing M-Tray installed first on the roof of Saxon Court and then returning to see it after being moved to YMCA MK,” said Julian. “It’s now two years later and the trays look great, with flowering sedum and wildflowers. The project is also a great demonstration of how M-Tray can deliver different planting schemes within the same installation; you can compartmentalise areas to achieve different looks by mixing wildflower and sedum trays.

“We are delighted to have supported Chris Bridgman and his team by donating quite a large amount of M-Tray and it was great to return and see it – quite literally – blooming. It just demonstrates how versatile the system is and how easy it is remove and re-lay,” added Julian.

About M-Tray

Multi-award-winning M-Tray is a premium quality green roof in a box – all elements of a roll-out system have been designed in (drainage, scientifically developed nutritious substrate and wildflower or sedum plants) delivering impeccable quality control, very little wastage and an established green roof that is quick and easy to install and just as easy to remove tray-by-tray if required.

Each 500mm x 500mm x 100mm M-Tray cassette weighs a maximum of 25kg. They simply click together, delivering a fully established green roof in a fraction of the time it would take to install a roll-out system. The system is designed to ensure that every element is installer friendly and focused on delivering a healthy, long-lasting and beautiful green roof. To aid installation each tray has hand grips and connectors for a tight and secure fit. Corners are rounded to avoid sharp edges. Drainage holes are strategically placed but not around edges to ensure beneficial water retention to prevent plants dying back at edges. The system is suitable for most flat roofs.

Asset

Previously Milton Keynes councillors described The Green Roof Project as a ‘key pillar’ of the city’s drive to be more environmentally friendly and ‘an asset to the community’.

Councillor Jenny Wilson-Marklew, formerly Cabinet member for Climate and Sustainability, said: “Green roofs have proven vital in boosting biodiversity and they help us strive towards our sustainability targets. We’re committed to making Milton Keynes the greenest city in the world and green roofs will play a key part in helping us get there.”