Düsseldorf’s Kö-Bogen Green Roofs

Germany continues its green roof leadership with the Kö-Bogen development in Düsseldorf.

According to Inhabitat.com, the structure, designed for multi-use the structure is:

"...adjacent to the Hofgarten, Düsseldorf’s central park, the Kö-Bogen will help create a larger and more continuous open green space that runs from the city center out to the park and the Rhine. The green roof will help connect the building with the beautiful historical parks surrounding the downtown area, while reducing rainwater runoff and helping to significantly reduce heating and cooling costs."

According to its architect, Daniel Libeskind, funding has been secured, and construction is set to begin in early 2010. The building is due to open in 2013.

While a green roof is a significant element of sustainable design, Kö-Bogen also includes other green building elements. It will have solar panels, as well as a biogas cogenerator.

Germany's ECO CITY

Germany, already a leader in green roofs, is now working on its own ECO CITY. Full of green roofs, wind turbines, and other sustainable technologies, ECO CITY hopes to revive the historic Hamburg-Harburg Harbor.

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Hamburg-Harburg Harbor, situated on the North Sea, has been a hub of trade and industrial activity since the 19th century. Although the original factories have since left, the historic area still has many classic buildings that ECO CITY wishes to retain and reuse in the renovated and sustainable city.

Site reclamation and renovations are difficult enough, however, ECO CITY takes this project to the next level. Inhabitat.com and World Architecture News both report one of ECO CITY's goals is to achieve certification from the three leading "green" building bodies (from WAN):

"...USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), and the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)’s Program. Currently, ECO CITY is seeking the highest level of environmental certification from all three programs."

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To achieve top marks from each of these bodies, buildings must produce renewable energy, be built with recycled materials, and use the renewable energy to sustain the project, e.g., solar lights, passive cooling, etc.

Green roofs are a key element of the project, not only to reduce storm water runoff, but also to improve the quality of life of the workers in the area. ARUP, the designers of Dongtan, the green city in China, is one of the key developers of ECO CITY. Their experience with green building, and Dongtan in particular, will help make ECO CITY a success.

Combining Solar and Green Roofs

Is it possible to make green roofs better? Sure, add solar panels! Although many think that green roofs and solar panels are incompatible, they aren't!

Although the benefits of green roofs are legendary, particularly the reduction of HVAC costs, and improved storm water control, air quality improvements, and reducing urban heat islands, adding solar just makes it that much better. Water Barrels and Storage

As I was researching the topic, I found some good information from Calfinder. A residential solar installer, Calfinder writes that green roofs improve the efficiency of solar panels, as they reduce the surrounding heat. "The green roof cools ambient temperatures around the solar panels, allowing the solar panels to stay cooler and function better." $20 Off AeroGardens

Calfinder also links to greenroofs.com, and the project pictured above, in Germany. An elementary school combined solar with a beautiful sedum roof. From the article:

Two hundred solar panels with an output of 23 kW(p) and a large extensive green roof now grace the top roof of this large school for primary and secondary grades in Unterensingen. The panels power enough electricity for the entire school.

The practice of combining green roofs and solar is a winning idea! Not only do both perform their functions improving the environment, but their synergy creates more efficient and longer lasting solar panels. Now, if the techonolgy for wind turbines improves for those of us in low-wind areas, that would be a triple play! Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food

A Matter of Taste

Allow me to begin with the following, I am not an architect, designer, or building professional, nor do I question the competence of those who are.

That said, I when I saw the editorial from World Architecture News about the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, I was less than excited about the design.

Although the building is um, striking, I fail to see the connection between the exterior of the building and the storied history of Porsche.

The architects, Delugan Meissi Associated Architects disagree with me and state (from the WAN editorial),

"The exterior is simultaneously engaging and appropriately reflective of the stature and confidence of the brand. Textural surface alterations and varying levels and angles offer a structural complexity reflecting the manufacture of a well-oiled machine, while slashes of glazing allow the building to shine outwardly and beckon passers-by inside, further lured by a gently sloped ramp towards the entrance."

OK, well, to me it looks awkward and lacks to beautiful lines and curves that Porsche is known for. Additionally, it fails to take advantage of the huge flat roof surface for a green roof. Not that my requirements are of any significance to Porsche. I must admit, however, that the interior offers an excellent space to show off these beauties!

You be the judge on the exterior, as these are the photos of the museum.


A Porsche on blocks??


This looks a little more like the whale-tale on the older 911s, just not as tidy.


Can you image how beautiful this would look with simple sedum? It wouldn't have to be a wild-looking grass roof, just a short and simple green roof. I wonder if there are "racing green" colored plants or even plants in the Porsche logo?












This view reminds me of Boba Fett's ship from Star Wars. See what I mean?

While I don't wish to be overly critical, nor to impose my view of the world on anybody, I do wish Porsche could have found used a design more fitting to the Porsche brand. However, if they are committed to this design, perhaps they can investigate using a green roof instead of the bland island of white space. That's just my opinion.

Germans Love Green Roofs!

According to Michigan State University, Germany has the highest density of flat green roofs. As the picture demonstrates, flat green roofs can be simple in design, and can easily fit into both the man-made and natural landscape.

If one googles "green roof Germany," one will find article upon article about the rise of flat green roofs in the 1970s in Germany to combat storm water runoff. Having had friends in Germany, they told me how expensive water was and how the government was trying ways to capture water from roadways and other sources.

Hat's off to Germany and their flat green roofs! Notice there were no David Hasselhoff jokes?