Marja Mesimäki & Hanna Nieminen: Building integrated vegetation in construction processes
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This document summarizes a case study on integrating vegetation into two construction projects in Finland. The case studies examined how green roofs were adopted in an elderly housing development in Tampere and an office park in Espoo. They revealed challenges with applying green roofs during construction processes due to differing expectations among stakeholders, conventional construction practices, and lack of landscape design integration. Recommendations include integrating green roof planning across all construction phases and roles, discussing aims to find shared meanings, and using multisectoral and integrative planning from start to finish. Norms and examples of functioning green roofs could also help customize diverse solutions.
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Marja Mesimäki & Hanna Nieminen: Building integrated vegetation in construction processes
- 1. BUILDING- INTEGRATED VEGETATION IN CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES Marja Mesimäki University of Helsinki Green Building – Building Green in Cities 25.8.2016, Helsinki Hanna Nieminen Finnish Environment Institute
- 2. CONTENTS • Case-study – two construction processes • Key factors in the processes • Recommendations Photo: Niina Ala-Fossi
- 3. 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?
- 4. 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
- 5. 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
- 6. 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)
- 7. 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
- 8. IDEA? New purposes & aims for the roof construction Local context Features of vegetation as a benefit
- 9. MANY ACTORS – MANYAIMS Different expectations for the green roofs
- 10. 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
- 11. Different actors – different meanings for the expected solution (e.g. maintenance) ”Neat and even lawn” WHAT KIND OF GREEN?
- 13. Avoiding/ minimizing risks STARTING POINTS FOR PLANNING Economic efficiency EVALUATION: risks vs. costs vs. benefits
- 14. GREEN ROOFS AS INVESTMENTS Economically beneficial or not? Technical risks? suspection, uncertainty
- 15. VARIOUS LIMITATIONS FOR THE GREEN ROOF SOLUTIONS Inexpensive
- 16. CONVENTIONSAND TRADITIONS General standars and norms + routines Chopped construction: several sub-projects and stages Roles, authority and responsibilities Knowhow and experience
- 17. GREEN ROOF ISA CHALLENGE TO THE TRADITIONALWAYOF CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS
- 18. Squeezing in/ glueing on the traditional roles and ways of acting Using conventional standards and norms Relying on familiar ’tools’ SOLUTION: BUSINESSAS USUAL
- 19. 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
- 20. WHERE IS THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNER ”Landscape designers do not design green roofs” (quote from an interview)
- 21. FINAL SOLUTION –A FAILURE? Not a verdant, GREEN green roof
- 22. Living, ever-changing, unpredictable, stubborn element… NATURE COMBINED WITH relatively conservative CONSTRUCTION field - technologies, techniques and procedures change slowly
- 24. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Integrate GREEN roof into different phases and roles of the process From planning to maintenance CHANGE THE ROUTINES! DISCUSS, COMMUNICATE, COOPERATE!
- 25. 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
- 26. THEKEYIS MULTISECTORIALAND INTEGRATIVE PLANNING From the beginning to the end
- 27. 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
- 28. 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
- 29. Tiedeartikkeli (Mesimäki & Nieminen ja Lehvävirta 2015) UUDENLAISEN VIHREÄN INFRASTRUKTUURIN TOTEUTUMISEN REUNAEHDOT RAKENTAMISEN PROSESSEISSA– tapauksena viherkatot Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu 2015:3 Pro gradu (Hanna Nieminen, Tampereen yo, Johtamiskorkeakoulu) VIHERKATTOJEN TOTEUTUMISEN LIIKKUMAVARA OSANA RAKENTAMISEN PROSESSEJA – tasapainoilua kaupunkirakenteen ja -luonnon rajapinnoilla MORE INFORMATION (inFinnish)
- 30. Raportti (Laurila et al. 2014) NORMEJA VIHERKATOILLE - PERUSTEITA KEHITTÄMISEEN MORE INFORMATION (inFinnish) Tiedeartikkeli (Kallio Pasi, Mesimäki Marja, Lehvävirta Susanna 2014) MONITOIMINNALLISET VIHERKATOT JA MAANKÄYTTÖ- JA RAKENNUSLAKI. Ympäristöjuridiikka 2/2014. Suomen ympäristöoikeustieteen seurHanna www.luomus.fi/viherkatot
- 31. Marja Mesimäki Marja.mesimaki@helsinki.fi Hanna Nieminen Hanna.p.nieminen@ymparisto.fi THANK YOU! Photo: Malgorzata Gabrych KIITOS!
Editor's Notes
- Hanna: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! Marja: We are here to tell you a story of what happened when we studied construction processes with building-integrated vegetation Hanna: My name is … Marja: And I am…
- Hanna: We’ll present a case study with two construction processes Marja: And highlight some key factors in these processes Hanna: Plus give some recommendations on the basis of the study
- Hanna: We conducted a case-study asking… Marja: Our study revealed those challenges and possibilities that may occur in the process of integrating vegetation in buildings
- Hanna: Criteria for choosing the cases were that they should be different for: size, location, time, purpose and establishment method of the green roof Marja: We ended up with two different cases, one public, one private:
- Marja: The primary motivation for the green roof in this case: landscaping the environment as the building can be seen from the surroundings The establishment method of green roof was seeded meadow-roof
- Hanna: The primary motivation here was: earning LEED points And the method of the 3 green roofs was ready-made sedum mats
- Marja: We studied the processes to find out who was involved in different phases, and how, and How did the key actors describe and evaluate issues concerning the green roofs Hanna: LIKE THIS WE ‘UNCOVERED’ HOW THE IDEA OF A GREEN ROOF WAS REALIZED DURING THE PROCESS, including planning, construction and the final outcome
- Hanna: OK – let’s go through the story: First thing: HOW DID THE GREEN ROOFS APPEAR ON THE AGENDA – WHAT WAS IT THAT MADE THEM POSSIBLE IN THESE CASES? Marja: Well – the key issue here was that new possibilities were seen for roof construction – roofs were sort of ‘seen with new eyes’ For example, in Tampere the normal ‘ugly’ roof was a bad choice – something was needed to cover it, And vegetation was considered as a nice, verdant element that would do the job
- Hanna: I GUESS THAT BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT ACTORS, ALSO OTHER AIMS AND BENEFITS FOR GREEN ROOFS WERE DEFINED? Marja: You are right – all kinds of expectations for the green roofs emerged at the beginning
- Marja: For example architects, project engineers and constructors loaded the idea of a green roof with different meanings, Such as… (mustat) - and, above all… (valkoiset) – vegetation was seen as an aesthetic and softening… landscaping the roof…
- Hanna: QUITE A BUNCH OF AIMS – what about the ideas of what the green roof would be like? Marja: That’s funny – for the same green roof there were all kinds of meanings, Such as… That’s why there was a lawn mower on Koukkuniemi roof – there was not a shared understanding of what the green roof meant in this case.
- Hanna: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN all THE IDEAS AND VARIOUS AIMS FOR THE GREEN ROOFS MET THE REALITY OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES? I mean, green roofs are still quite new elements in construction in Finland, and most of the actors in these processes didn’t have any earlier experiences of them. and also, in construction processes there are many issues that define the planning
- Marja: Yes, in these cases – like with almost any decisions usually in construction processes: Avoiding risks And aiming at economic efficiency was seen important .. And this leads to evaluation – on one hand, what are the risks and costs, and on the other hand, what are the benefits
- Marja Here too, green roofs were evaluated accordingly, as investments Are they economically beneficial for the contractor or the owner of the building? And, are there some technical risks? Finally, as a result, green roofs were suspected to be partly unreliable elements and there was uncertainty about their technical performance, For example concerning leaks Hanna: SO, IN OTHER WORDS: green roofs cost more money, but may not be that good investments, they are even a bit unpredictable. Marja: yep!
- Hanna: This evaluation of green roofs as investments MUST HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE PROCESS – SO I GUESS, VARIOUS LIMITATIONS FOR THE GREEN ROOF SOLUTIONS EMERGED, RIGHT? Marja: Yes, of course – you could call them even “roofing norms” Light-weight Reliable Inexpensive And simple solutions that are effortless and easy to install
- Hanna: IN ADDITION TO THESE THERE SURELY ARE OTHER CONVENTIONS AND TRADITIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION FIELD Like the habit of chopping the construction process into several smaller sub-projects And all kinds of general standards and norms that are used in planning and construction, plus doing things ‘like they have always done’ Marja: Indeed, they strongly affected the final green roof solution And I would add to the list also the roles, and authority of the different actors in different phases: who is allowed to say and what and when, and who is usually responsible of certain tasks And naturally knowhow and experience are at steak here
- Hanna: Now WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING different aims, visions, limitations, norms etc. that are conventional in construction field So - HOW DO GREEN ROOFS FIT IN THIS PICTURE? Marja: To say it shortly: Integrating vegetation to building structures challenges the conventions and traditions of the construction field
- Hanna: DO YOU MEAN THAT GREEN ROOF SORT OF DOES NOT FIT IN THE NORMAL WAY OF DOING? Marja: Yep, AND THE SOLUTION WAS ‘business as usual’ The green roof was sort of squeezed in or glued on top of the traditional roles and ways of acting This led, for example, to strongly, even a bit ‘blindly’ leaning on existing standards and norms, like, that structural engineers relied on the former, not at the time updated Finnish Building Information card for green roofs Hanna: I UNDERSTAND THAT – THE SOMEWHAT BLURRY IDEA OF A GREEN ROOF HAD TO BE RELATED TO SOMETHING THAT IS FAMILIAR AND EASY TO USE Marja: Yes, exactly! In Derby this ‘tool’ was a ready-made green roof mat. Buying the product seemed to fulfill all the expectations for the performance, both technical and those concerning verdant green.
- Hanna: if everything was done like business as usual, I AM CURIOUS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NEW ELEMENT, THE GREEN ROOF Marja: Ou jeah, now we are getting down to the business The main point here is that DESIGNING GREEN was not integrated in the process. And that’s why, for example, the structural engineers had such a big role with the decisions that concerned also the GREEN roof. Hanna: I INTERPRET THE SITUATION LIKE THIS: While the main concern was how to construct a proper roof (that is water-proof, light-weight etc.), the requirements for the vegetation, what does it need to flourish, are not included in the calculations. The main task of the structural engineer is anyway reassuring that the risks are avoided, isn’t it? Marja: Yes, and that was a reason for a very interesting situation: In the early phases of planning, the qualities of vegetation were seen as benefits – but in this phase, these benefits suddenly were seen as risks. You know, plants need water, sometimes maintenance – meaning risks and costs.
- Hanna: If structural engineers played such a big role, I WONDER WHAT DID THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNER DO – I mean aren’t they usually responsible for everything concerning plants? Marja: Well, designing the green roof was not seen as a task for the landscape designer, e.g. in Derby, the task shrinked to choosing the ready product, the sedum-mat.
- Hanna: WHAT DID ALL THIS HASSLE MEAN AT THE END – DID THE FINAL SOLUTION MEET ALL THE EXPECTATIONS? Marja: Far from that – in both cases several actors expressed disappointment - Green roofs were considered brown, stunted – not living and verdant like everyone hoped for.
- Hanna: So, all in all, it seems that the key challenge is, how to combine the living, ever-changing, unpredictable, stubborn element… NATURE with the relatively slowly-changing techniques and procedures of the construction field Marja: Great Hanna - you got the point!
- Marja: I THINK THAT NOW WE CAN GIVE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO OVERCOME AT LEAST PART OF THESE CHALLENGES. Hanna: Let’s try that!
- Hanna: DON’T YOU THINK THAT THE MAIN ‘LESSON LEARNED’ FROM OUR STUDY WAS THAT YOU NEED TO INTEGRATE GREEN ROOFS IN THE PROCESSES MORE, I mean into planning, implementing and maintenance etc.– RIGHT? Marja: Yeah, green roofs should be integrated into these different phases of the process, and tasks of the actors, too. - Above all, different actors need to take into account “the green” of the green roof and not only add the green roof on their to-do lists - This is not going to work out if people in the process do not discuss, a lot, with each other.
- Marja: As you remember, different actors had different visions of what the green roof is, an how it should be like. Isn’t it a bit dangerous to start building something that is so packed with different objectives and meanings. Hanna: Haa – yes, good you recalled this - it is crucial also to integrate the different aims etc., and to discuss and cooperate, so that the ideas of the green roof are shared, and negotiated, if necessary
- Marja: To summarize, multisectorial and integrative planning of green roofs is needed during the whole construction process, Hanna: FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END
- Marja: How would you recommend to pave the way to better solutions? Hanna: Well, earlier we realized that in our cases, it was important to have something reliable and familiar to build upon, but there were not so many alternatives. For example, broad enough standards and norms that are based on up-to-date knowledge are helpful. And of course also functioning examples. Marja: I see – in a way they bring reassurance, and give encouragement to actors to customize green roof solutions – sort of make actors more willing to adopt something new and even a bit scary. Hanna: One example of this here in Finland, are the new building information cards, that Anna-Kaisa told about earlier. (Marja: yes, in fact we, I mean our research group was involved in creating these cards.) HIGH FIVE!
- Hanna: To finish with, I would like to mention one baby step one can take when implementing a new idea like green roof in a construction project. Solutions that are similar to something that is already known could help here. Marja: That could be something that fits in the ’roofing norms’ we talked about earlier, like aiming at light-weight roofs. And later on, perhaps more diverse solutions are accepted and adapted.
- Hanna: These were the lessons we learnt from our case-study Marja: This presentation, however, included only some of the main points. I am happy to say that more information is available – sorry for this, but only in Finnish
- Marja: And – even more information, again only in Finnish… sorry fot that, too You can check the publications on our website
- Hanna: That’s all folks! Marja: THANK YOU for your attention