shipping-containers

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New community container in place for Madeira Terrace pilot restoration

Great to see the green wall featuring alongside the precious Madeira Terrace in the artwork on the new community container.

The container contains an office and other facilities for local community groups to use. Building Green will be!

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Artwork features Japanese Spindle – the main feature of the Madeira Drive Green Wall, these plants are now almost 150 years old. It also features hoary stock – one of the rarest native plants that has been found along the green wall. Hoary stock has another name…’Hopes’. Seems apt!

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Unfortunately we couldn’t raise the funds to green the container itself…a green roof, or some living walls would have been even better. To see what’s possible with a shipping container, go here and here.

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DIY green roof workshop a success!

This weekend’s DIY Green Roof workshop was a real success!

Happy green roofers with their green roofed bird boxes

Happy green roofers with their green roofed bird boxes

We had participants from Brighton & Hove and further afield across the country…and a keen Spanish green roofer who travelled over from Córdoba!

We discussed the fine points of projects on sheds, house extensions and even a Dutch barge.

Everyone put their learning into practice by building their own green roofs and installing them on a bird box they also put together.

The second day was a tour of some green roofs and green walls.

Lee Evans, course tutor, talking participants through the benefits and technical aspects of green roofing at Organic Roofs HQ

Lee Evans, course tutor, talking participants through the benefits and technical aspects of green roofing at Organic Roofs HQ

Lee Evans, course tutor, demonstrating how to build the bird box to the course participants.

Lee Evans, course tutor, demonstrating how to build the bird box to the course participants.

Course participants DIY-ing their bird boxes

Course participants DIY-ing their bird boxes

James Farrell, course tutor, talking participants through a container green roof at Organic Roofs HQ

James Farrell, course tutor, talking participants through a container green roof at Organic Roofs HQ

James Farrell, course tutor, talking participants through a container green roof at Organic Roofs HQ

James Farrell, course tutor, talking participants through a container green roof at Organic Roofs HQ

Finished bird box with a green roof

Finished bird box with a green roof

Happy course participant with their green roofed bird box

Happy course participant with their green roofed bird box

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A visit to Organic Roofs

I visited Building Green partner Organic Roofs‘ workshop and green roof demonstration centre in Shoreham recently.

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Lee Evans with the green roof research station at Organic Roofs HQ, Shoreham

Organic Roofs head honcho Lee Evans showed me around the site, which has an amazing view of the harbour.

We will be holding the next green roof DIY workshop there on 24/25 October – book here. It’s a great venue for it.

On the site are two green roofs created on shipping containers, a nursery for green roof plants, and a new research station that will be measuring the performance of different substrates and plant systems. There’s also a ‘waste office’ which takes after the award winning Waste House in Brighton.

Organic Roofs won a number of awards recently, including NRFC Green Roof of the Year, Brighton & Hove’s Best Environmental Industry Company, as well as being finalists in 2 other categories at the #BAHBAs – Fastest Growing Company and Best Place to Work.

Container green roof at Organic Roofs HQ, Shoreham

Container green roof at Organic Roofs HQ, Shoreham

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Plant nursery, Organic Roofs HQ, Shoreham

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Organic Roofs HQ, Shoreham

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Green Roof Shelters

Green Roof Shelters Ltd have just launched a great new product, reusing shipping containers and adding green credentials by the bucket-load.

Also check out the green roof container village in Brighton & Hove, England.

They say:

Green Roof Shipping Container

We have mixed the iconic industrial design and portability of a used shipping container and encased it with all we have learned about green roofs and habitat walls.

We can adapt these boxes into anything from secure storage, bike shelters, outdoor classrooms, green stages and soon to come home office/garden room. All delivered to site complete with planted green roof.

Green Roof Shelters Ltd Containers