University of Brighton invited to Zurich University to share research ideas

Organic Roofs are working in partnership with the University of Brighton to research a new green roof concept which will help Organic Roofs maintain their excellent reputation as provider of proactive roof level habitats.

09 October 2015

In August this year, a team from the university and Brighton based Organic Roofs who design, install and maintain green roofs, specialising in locally appropriate planting that provides a food source for threatened species in the area, visited Switzerland at the invitation of the Green Roof Competence Centre research team, at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) to visit some of Switzerland’s most famous green roofs.

With support from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), the team have embarked on a Knowledge Exchange Partnership (KEP), a three-way partnership which allows Organic Roofs to work with university experts and a graduate specifically recruited to lead a project to explore the performance of a lightweight green roof system.

University of Brighton Building Surveying graduate Candice Knights is leading the project, supported by two University of Brighton academics: Duncan Baker-Brown, practising architect and Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, and Dr Anja Rott, an expert in urban pollinators and Assistant Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.

The Organic Roofs KEP team travelled to Basel where, for the past 15 years, in a drive to enhance biodiversity, green roofs have been mandatory on all new and retrofit buildings with flat roofs. The team were inspired by the Swiss research team’s tour of the green roofs of Basel, gaining a better understanding of different materials and coverings that make up the plant and animal roof habitats.

This one year knowledge exchange partnership, supported by the Regional Growth Fund, is evaluating the applicability of a lightweight green roof system in UK retrofit and new build markets.

If you would like to know more about Organic Roofs, you can contact Candice Knight on 01273 421 864 or email candice@organicroofs.co.uk.

To find out about Knowledge Exchange opportunities with the University of Brighton please contact the KTP Centre on 01273 642424 or email at ktp@brighton.ac.uk.