Marja Mesimäki & Hanna Nieminen: Building integrated vegetation in construction processes

BUILDING-INTEGRATED

VEGETATION IN CONSTRUCTION

PROCESSES

Marja MesimäkiUniversity of Helsinki

Green Building – Building Green in Cities25.8.2016, Helsinki

Hanna NieminenFinnish Environment Institute

CONTENTS• Case-study – two construction processes• Key factors in the processes • Recommendations

Photo: Niina Ala-Fossi

CASE-STUDY

REVEALED CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF APPLYING BUILDING-INTEGRATED VEGETATION IN CONSTRUCTION

• How were green roofs adopted and realized in two construction processes in Finland?

• What kinds of constraints or facilitating agents there were in the process?

Elderly people’s home area, Tampere

Lentokuva Vallas Oy/ Hannu Vallas. SRV Rakennus Oy

THE CASES• Large projects with various stakeholders and actors• Different locations, times of construction, purposes of the

buildings and establishment method of the green roofs• Private & public projects

Derby Business Park, Espoo

PUBLIC PROJECT (city of Tampere)

New building for catering services in a culturally valuable area• Finished 2008• Seeded meadow-roof• Primary motivation:

architectural solution (landscaping with the green roof)

Hanna Nieminen

Hanna Nieminen

Oy ViaPipe Ab & Rumtec Oy. Asiakaslehti Nro 1 / 2012

Leena Manner, SRV Rakennus Oy

PRIVATE PROJECT

Center of three office-buildings• Constructed 2012/ 2013• 3 sedum-roofs

(ready-made mats)• Primary motivation:

LEED-certification (platinum)

Backtracking the processes step by step, actor by actor

FOCUS IN THE PROCESSES

Finding key themes & actors detailed description of the processes

HOW WAS THE IDEA OF A GREEN ROOF CONCRETIZED THROUGH THE PHASES OF PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

IDEA?New purposes & aims for the roof construction

Local context

Features of vegetation as a benefit

MANY ACTORS – MANY AIMS

Different expectations for the green roofs

Landscaping the roof with living, verdant, green nature

Communicating environmental responsibility

Constructing ’Green image’

Experimenting, piloting something new

Vegetation as aesthetic and ’softening’ element in the urban scenery

Trendsetting, pioneering

Different actors – different meanings for the expected solution (e.g. maintenance)

”Natural grass” ”Meadow”

”Neat and even lawn”

WHAT KIND OF GREEN?

THE REALITY OF CONSTRUCTION

PROCESSES

Avoiding/ minimizing risks

STARTING POINTS FOR PLANNING

Economic efficiency

EVALUATION: risks vs. costs vs. benefits

GREEN ROOFS AS INVESTMENTS

Economically beneficial or not?Technical risks?

suspection, uncertainty

VARIOUS LIMITATIONS FOR THE GREEN ROOF

SOLUTIONS

Light-weight Inexpensive

Reliable Simple and

easy

CONVENTIONS AND TRADITIONS

General standars and norms + routines

Chopped construction: several sub-projects and stages

Roles, authority and responsibilities

Knowhow and experience

GREEN ROOF IS A CHALLENGE TO THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS

Squeezing in/ glueing on the traditional roles and ways of acting

Using conventional standards and norms

Relying on familiar ’tools’

SOLUTION: BUSINESS AS USUAL

WHERE IS THE GREEN?

E.g. load capacity – enough for the desired vegetation?

The central role: structural engineers – avoid risks

vegetation: from benefit to risk

Designing GREEN was not integrated in the process

WHERE IS THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNER

”Landscape designers do not design green roofs”

(quote from an interview)

FINAL SOLUTION – A FAILURE?Not a verdant, GREEN green roof

Living, ever-changing, unpredictable, stubborn element…

NATURECOMBINED WITH relatively conservative CONSTRUCTION field - technologies, techniques and procedures change slowly

OVERCOMING THE

CHALLENGES

Photo: Taina Suonio

RECOMMENDATIONS1. Integrate GREEN roof into different phases

and roles of the process

From planning to maintenance

CHANGE THE ROUTINES!

DISCUSS, COMMUNICATE, COOPERATE!

2. Integrate different AIMS AND MEANINGS related to green roof

RECOMMENDATIONS

Enhance discussion and cooperation between actors with different roles in the process

Share and negotiate meanings and aims for the green roof

THE KEY IS MULTISECTORIAL AND

INTEGRATIVE PLANNING

From the beginning to the end

To bring reassurance, add know-how and courage to customize diverse green roof solutions – for different aims and visions in the local context

Various kinds of norms, standards and model solutions (examples of functioning green roofs) MORE ALTERNATIVES

PRACTICAL TOOLS

Solutions that fit in the ’roofing norms’

TAKE BABY STEPS

For example to develop light-weight solutions, e.g. moss green roofs

paving the way to more diverse solutions

Tiedeartikkeli (Mesimäki & Nieminen ja Lehvävirta 2015)UUDENLAISEN VIHREÄN INFRASTRUKTUURIN TOTEUTUMISEN REUNAEHDOT RAKENTAMISEN PROSESSEISSA – tapauksena viherkatotYhdyskuntasuunnittelu 2015:3

Pro gradu (Hanna Nieminen, Tampereen yo, Johtamiskorkeakoulu)VIHERKATTOJEN TOTEUTUMISEN LIIKKUMAVARA OSANA RAKENTAMISEN PROSESSEJA – tasapainoilua kaupunkirakenteen ja -luonnon rajapinnoilla

Kaksinkertainen vuoden gradu 2015

Yrjö Haila -palkinto (YHYS) &

Suomen Suunnittelevien

Maantieteilijöiden liitto SUM ry)

MORE INFORMATION (in Finnish)

Raportti (Laurila et al. 2014)NORMEJA VIHERKATOILLE - PERUSTEITA KEHITTÄMISEEN

MORE INFORMATION (in Finnish)

Tiedeartikkeli (Kallio Pasi, Mesimäki Marja, Lehvävirta Susanna 2014) MONITOIMINNALLISET VIHERKATOT JAMAANKÄYTTÖ- JA RAKENNUSLAKI. Ympäristöjuridiikka 2/2014. Suomen ympäristöoikeustieteen seurHanna

www.luomus.fi/viherkatot

Marja MesimäkiMarja.mesimaki@helsinki.fi

Hanna NieminenHanna.p.nieminen@ymparisto.fi

THANK YOU!

Photo: Malgorzata Gabrych

KIITOS!