This title has been nominated for The RIBA Sir Robert McAlpine International Book Award for Construction

Local Authorities may purchase copies of this publication at half the standard price.

Description: Green roofs and walls are widely used in many countries to provide a range of benefits for the built environment. Numerous studies have been carried out to monitor and assess the effectiveness of green roofs and green walls in the areas of biodiversity, stormwater management and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This guidance results from a detailed assessment of published information on green roof and walls and provides guidance on their design, construction and operation. The guidance also describes how ‘quick wins’ for biodiversity can be achieved in the built environment by incorporating nesting and roosting boxes for birds, bats and other animals.

Keywords: environmental good practice, sustainable construction, design and buildability, land use planning, biodiversity

Contents: Summary, Acknowledgements, Part A Introduction and background, 1 Introduction to the guidance, 2 Building greener – the overall context, 3 Policy context, 4 Construction and development context, Part B Green roofs, 5 Introduction to green roofs, 6 Benefits of green roofs for biodiversity, 7 Benefits of green roofs for sustainable drainage, 8 Benefits of green roofs for climate change mitigation and adaption, 9 Green roof components and plant communities, 10 Green roof design considerations, 11 Green roof construction, maintenance and performance, Part C Green walls, 12 Introduction to green walls and their benefits, 13 Green wall design and maintenance considerations, 14 Nestboxes and other biodiverstiy features, A1 Extracts from National Planning Policies which indirectly encourage the implementation of green roofs and walls, A2 Biodiversity benefits of green roofs – a summary of research, A3 The contribution of green roofs to stormwater management, A4 Green roofs and pollution removal from stormwater – a summary of research, A5 Green roofs for climate change adaptation and mitigation – further case studies, Glossary, Abbreviations, Reference