Spring!

Next week we welcome SPRING!  Yes.  As a horticulturist, it’s always an exciting time to see what is emerging from the depths of dormancy.  For a green roofer, this is also the time building owners often call, worried that their system may not come back…. It may change a bit from year to year, but plants always come back.

Change can be scary for someone who may not fully understand the seasonal effect on green roofs.  The last snow melt brings to surface brown and dark red landscapes and some bare patches on the growing media.  Turbulent spring storms challenge many designs, but they usually prove to recharge the vegetated roof systems.  The overburden further protects the roof systems below from hail.  The first signs of summer droughts remind us that our supplement irrigation plans may need to be explored, and that the plants were selected to withstand the maximum and minimum temperatures!  By the time heat breaks in the Fall, green roofs thrive again as if they just realized they made it through the worst of Mother Nature’s offerings that year.  The first snowfall covers the landscape, people wonder if their roof will survive, when in fact snow is the ideal protector from minimum temperatures.   

So much happens in Spring.  Customers tend to forget about maintenance until there is a problem, and then we scurry around in April to get the contracts signed.  I wish it wasn’t this way, but it always is.  Winter weeds were left alone, and now additional pressure to get them pulled before they propagate.  Ordering fertilizers and pre-emergent for all types of roofs requires some time and thought.  

Installation contracts work their way back up the priority pile, and submittals need to be pulled to order materials.  My fellow soil blenders and growers are equally busy, so sending purchase orders becomes critical…. In other words, the phone keeps ringing and emails start flying.

In the Northern climates, neighbors crawl out of the woodwork and start outdoor work.  We evaluate what, if any, ice and snow damage had on our gutters.  My personal community garden gets started.  All the seeds have arrived, and we set up a production line to sew the flats.  My neighbor has grow lights and racks in her basement (for veggie garden purposes only, we swear!)   The spring bulbs in my boulevard plots start peering out of the cold soil.    

Days get longer because we get busier!

Bronx, Part 2

Green roof installations take a lot of planning- just like with any construction project.  The efficiencies that I saw from proper project management also led to profitable outcomes.  However, one of the biggest challenges that any contractor (and manufacturer, quite honestly) faces is AFTER then installation.  

When green roofs are installed in early summer, the plant material has to be maintained with more attention than if they were planted in late fall.  The possibility of high temperatures with limited natural rain events makes me anxious to get up there and irrigate.  There is a fine balance here, because I want the plants to acclimate so they are not reliant on anything supplemental, but they do need to live.  

In the case of the Bronx project, we had a problem getting water from inside the building to the roof.  And once we did get water, there was not enough pressure to water across the entire roof area.  So, we rigged up a fire hose from a bathroom and through a door.  We also brought up a pump booster.  I hauled Netafim drip tube from Baltimore- that would have been easier than trying to find it locally.  But it WORKED!  We had water for the summer time.

As I mentioned, the Courthouse was across from Yankee Stadium.  As with many rooftops in NYC, the views are amazing and you can pick out signature landmarks no matter where you were.  Perhaps the scurry to get the irrigation working on the roof drew attention to the fact that this roof was somewhat accessible.  Late one afternoon, a group of firemen came out and climbed a ladder to a penthouse roof and took some amazing photos with the green roof and all of NYC in the background.  But I was mostly focused on the iconic firemen.  Haha

The Bronx, Part 1

January 8 2013

Happy New Year! May 2013 bring exciting and challenging changes to your life.  It certainly has already for me!

One of the most enjoyable, successful, well rounded projects I was involved in was the Bronx County Courthouse.  Having recently moved from Harlem to Maryland back in 2006, I was still very familiar with the Bronx.  In fact, my apartment building supervisor saw me running, one day as he told me later, and he wondering to himself, “What a crazy white woman would be running in the Bronx?”  Unfortunately, this trip was not for leisurely running, or checking out a local band, or even hanging out at the park with friends.  

Afternoon shade, 1 year old!

Our pre-construction meeting was pretty entertaining.  We had project managers, site supervisors (NJ Union roofers) running around, BOEDC funders, and the design team.   The first thing we had to work through was fixing the leaky roof above the judges’ chambers.  We were guaranteed NOTHING was going to happen until they were happy… and stayed dry.

The roof was already aging, but the desire to install a 10,000 sf green roof on a concrete deck, with 10’ parapet walls was an ideal pilot project that had been fully funded.  The building was a very active County Courthouse and was located across from the old Yankee Stadium.  We only had access on weekends and when the Yankees were playing Away.  There were 2 weekends in June selected for installation. 

The owner’s rep from BOEDC was very involved, even wanting to plant plugs right along side us.  She was generally interested and had lobbied for the project long before we were the selected contractor.  She was also interested in the maintenance and the success of the roof, so we stayed involved with each other for many months after we completed the project.

While the security guards were meant to be intimidating, I found them to be quite nice and friendly over time, and some were even curious about what we were doing there.  The first part of the installation was laying out the root barrier, protection, drainage, and filter fabrics, creating the perimeters and craning up soil.  I’ll admit the craning was pretty fantastic- we had a permit to close off the block and the crane had to reach 100’+ feet up and over.  

And, while I thought the craning was pretty awesome, I’ll admit I was more entertained by our crews!  All the stereotypes of the NJ and NY construction crews- yelling at each other, friendly loud swearing banter, and generally on time for work and their breaks- were all true!  We also had a Hispanic crew that worked in a very different way- quiet, small chit chat, and working hard until they were done.  What a dynamic!  I don’t know that any crew members cared about what we were doing (specifically for the greater good of Greening the Bronx) but they were there to get paid and be efficient to get the job done.  

The NJ guys gave me the nickname of Martha Stewart on the first day I was able to swap my construction hat for a sun hat.  I should have guessed they would make fun of me for wearing it, and when I find a photo of my awesome hat, I will post it!  BTW, that name stuck on every roof we worked on in the future.  When I’d show up to a site I would hear someone yelling, “Yo, Hey Look! Martha Stewart’s back!”   Some guys questioned how they were “supposed to plant those F#$’ing flowers” but I gained their respect overtime.  I took the responsibility for driving a full crew cab truck from the Bronx through Washington Heights while following the site super towards the interstate into NJ.  That was a tight fit.  Oh, and I had to communicate using a Nextel direct connect… “10-4 Good Buddy!”

Part 2 of this story begins with me bringing up over 100’ of Netafim irrigation hose on Amtrak from Baltimore and squeezing on the #4 subway during the NYC rush hour…And meeting hot NYC firemen.  But, you will have to wait for it :)

Small Roof, Big Egos. Not enough room for us all.

Clearly, I took the job in the Mid-Atlantic working for Magco, as a green roof specialist.  Many times in my life I have had an unbalance: score high in school, score low socially.  Have a great social life, but my job is just OK.  Here was a chance to really get the job I could eventually make my dream job... And hopefully the social part would follow.

My first project was the highly touted ASLA Headquarters in Washington DC.  It’s a pretty cool design!  http://www.asla.org/greenroof/  The bulk of material was donated by manufacturers, we were contracted to install this monster project.  I was handed the plant list on day #2 of my new job.  Now, if you have ever worked with, or worked within the Landscape Architect community, you know they have been known to push the design, keep the challenge high and demand a quality execution.  And rightfully so.  As green roofs were just coming to be the newest sexy and sustainable technology, the NYC based firm at a lot to prove (and on such a signature building as that!).

The plant list was incredible.  While in theory some of the plants would survive on a green roof, most many not commercially available- esp in the quantity I needed.  When they were thumbing through pretty pictures, I believe they failed to ask the basic question of – can these be sourced.  It took me about 2 weeks to find the majority on the list.  But, the last 20-30% were unreasonable.  I went so far as to call range land specialists at University of North Dakota for seed sources!   …Which I was not able to get because of their classification on the invasive list, of course.  I had enough and offered substitutes to the LA.  Oh man, the backlash from that was just stupid.  In fact, I feel my BP rising after remembering the back and forth and unreasonable responses we had to deal with! I don't believe it.  

On the day of installation for the plant material, there was no plant schedule to prepare the groupings of species.  Instead, the LA came down from his NYC firm to point at each plant and each spot on the green roof, as my crew sat back waiting for him to make a decision.   At some point in the day, I planted a prickly pear cactus and the LA made me rotate it 90^o so it would “fall back to the landscape.”  It drove my site super nuts!  I learned my lesson.  Never again was I going to install plant material without a defined plan (that is, if a green roof actually needs one).  Oh, and I won’t even mention the “intern” who came down to document the plants and begin to educate ME about them.  I had to leave him to it.  Ha!

Is their roof sustainable?  What makes it sustainable? I will be focusing on this topic a lot.

My final thoughts on this project- there was a lot of hype and bunch of money spent.  Now, there is a website, a web cam, and tours... This project certainly required an LA, but I truly do not believe an LA is needed on every roof project. 

Print Media

It doesn't happen often, but I am in two pubs this week!

http://schoolplanning.epubxp.com/i/93306 (page 12) AND

http://www.livingarchitecturemonitor.com/ (page 4)

In Search of Place

Where do you like to be creative?  What does one do to find a spark?  Even though I just starting blogging, and recently took a little hiatus, I have been really happy to talk about getting back into writing!  As I stated in my first post, there are so many topics that I want to explore.  Some experiences were jaw dropping.   And so far I haven’t needed to find a place to inspire my writing.  I have written in my kitchen, at the airline gate, once was at my desk at work over a conference call that I didn’t need to be on (sh, don’t say anything), and now I find myself at one of the coffee shops in my neighborhood I’ve been wanting to visit.  (The peppermint tea here is really impressive!)

“Place” isn’t just a spot where I rip a blog, of course.  In my professional life, I like to be surrounded by a bit of familiarly, creativity, and like-minded folks—as I am sure many of you do.  Working at EP was enriching for some of that for me.  But, like I said, I found myself needing to push the industry forward and advocacy alone was not going to fulfill my goal. 

I found myself on Amtrak heading from NYC to Baltimore for an interview with a roofing company.  I was answering an ad for a horticultural professional who had some experience with green roofs.  That sounded cool, I seemed qualified.   A guy who looked a bit like Wilford Brimley was standing near a silver truck with a ladder in the parking lot once I arrived.  This must be the guy.  Actually, he wasn’t the guy I was interviewing with, he was just “doing his boss a favor” by picking me up.  

When I walked into the Magco building for the first time, I thought, “Well, so this is what a roofing company looks like, huh.”  I noticed steel partitioned cubicles, large drafting tables with large plans stacked on top, bulky computer monitors and wires openly exposed.  The floors were cool- it was painted concrete and the duct work was exposed in the ceiling.  I didn’t see people- and I saw that as a good sign- they must be out roofing, estimating, and managing some very important projects.  My future boss’s office was huge, with large windows.  File cabinets lined the walls, and there was actually a jade plant in the window.  (Hey, I notice these things.)

This is where I met Mark Gaulin, with a serious and commanding personality, yet easy to talk to.  The interview seemed fairly standard and I thought it was going well until he asked how many green roofs I had installed.  I said, “A few. Maybe 5-7 that I had an active hand in, but that seems to be about as much experience anyone has in this emerging field.”  Come to find out, Magco had only put down 2 or 3, so I was on point.

This was a good fit for me and Magco.  They had some green jobs booked for the spring and had maintenance planned in the DC area. Magco had equipment, crews, and insurance – and knew how to get jobs done safely on the roof.  That meant more green roof acres for me!  And, they were part of some larger organization beyond the Mid-Atlantic.  Mark didn’t promise me a national scope, but suggested there may be some travel from time to time.  That was very enticing!  

In search of a new professional place, I may have to give up my beloved NYC personal place.  But, it was the decision I had to make. 

This is a good one about EP!

Non-profits do not always provide the “good” we search for.  I may have busted your bubble.  Sorry. 

I finished grad school with an intense desire to continue to advocate for green roofing, I wanted to be the catalyst for getting as many acres installed as I could.  I was seeking out large roofing companies who had the overhead to employ someone with my specific background; many of them offered back a product sales-type role that I wasn’t really interested in.  The green roof industry was still in its infancy and there were not a lot of options.  I was also looking into this particular non-profit in NYC who claimed they were doing real research, design, and building green roofs across New York City.  The NFP: Earth Pledge (EP).

I was scared out of my mind to move to NYC- plus I didn’t have an intense desire to “make it in NY” like some kids.  EP did not offer a good salary or any relocation package.  Forget benefits.  I flew in for the interview and they didn’t reimburse me.  The only place I could afford to live was in Harlem or renting a room with random strangers, somewhere in Chinatown.  I would probably have to sell my car.

BUT I still took the job.  And, moved to Harlem.

Within two weeks, I fell in love with the City and all its opportunity and cultural diversity.  I enjoyed my co-workers.  We always said the best thing about EP was its ability to bring together good people.  To this day, I still trust most of the people I met there- we had formed this secret clan of suppressed individuals.  And there were many!  HaHa.  That place (EP) had the highest employee turnover I’ve ever seen.  The payroll accountants were on speed dial for all the hires and terminations.   We worked hard- despite the reluctance of management to let us do anything of any significance.  We couldn’t even make phone calls to the outside world without permission.  And, when we did, the person on the other side of the line would be so mad at EP that it was usually a stupid conversation.  

I was involved in some cool projects including setting up a research station on the large green roof at Silver Cup Studios in Long Island City.  This is where they taped Sopranos. So, I’d see the actors every once and a while.  I met Edie Falco in the bathroom, yes I did!  

Unlike many ideas of where a non-profit may office in a dingy cold cramped space, this place was sweet!  We worked in a brownstone in the Murray Hill district.  Probably worth about $7M and the non-profit “owned” it.  (Explain that, hm?)  The top level was a master suite, and lead out to a green roof with a patio and spectacular view.  We couldn’t go up there unless we snuck out after management left.  The main floors were in really great shape with new renovations and historical charm. The kitchen was in the basement – and was high end and decked out with All-Clad gadgets.  The house keeper(s) were great.  The first time I tried ceviche was made by a Latin American woman who explained how seafood cooks in its own marinade.  Yummy.  She treated us like we were her kids, and listened to the wrath we were always under.

It's Hillary!  One of my EP coworkers rigged up this photo, just for me

The Executive Director, residing in a condo facing Central Park, was chauffeured by a driver every day.  Let me reiterate that this was an environmental non-profit operating in a city that has the most public transportation options in the entire US!! There were last minute meetings in Punta Cana, DR.  There was the necessary Fashion Week in Milan, and trips to prepare. Give me a break.  Countless luxuries too absurd to fath

om.  But, they had a nice roll-a-deck of contacts, high rollers like the Clintons, and actors such as Edward Norton (I emailed him just to say Hi.  I’m such a fan!)

But, with all its glory that I’ve chosen to remember about this time in my life, I was really miserable in my career.  I lasted 8 months there.  This was not the job I wanted, nor was the environment set by management something my blood pressure could handle any more.  I quit right to their faces and walked out.  With clouded judgment, I walked into a church down the street and stayed for almost an hour contemplating and releasing it all.  I was glad the rumor was true that churches in NYC keep their doors unlocked.

We all had bets on how EP would eventually fail. Trust me, my depiction of EP is very nice considering some others who had a more aggressive approach to bringing the organization down.  The rich lawyer who had dumped his cash into EP as a tax right off finally died, leaving EP nothing.  And, now there is barely a trace of a website.

Career aside, I loved living in NYC.  But, I didn’t get a Masters just to wait tables in the City. 

USPS Morgan on 9th Ave, one of my signature jobs