April 22, 2007

Cute or what? The phenomenon of Green Roofs currently sweeping across Europe inverts our spatial perception by taking vegetation from the ground to the rooftops. Aside from their ecological benefits, nobody would deny the aesthetic improvement of replacing an ugly old rooftop with a floral delight.
Advocated by the UK Minister for housing, Yvette Cooper, these ‘living roofs’. come in two main types,
‘extensive’, which needs little maintenance, consisting of laying moss or sedum as a fertile base to nurture wild vegetation, and ‘intensive’ roofs, basically the creation of a more labour-intensive roof-top garden or patio. Aside from absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, green roofs also take-in rainwater, meaning run-off and flooding is lessened, and they act as natural insulation by keeping heat from escaping. The figures suggest savings of 3-10% on your winter fuel bills Best of all, they provide an excellent way of attracting wildlife back to the city.
Although turf-topped buildings were popular in the 1930’s, their current presence in the UK is much less than in
»Keep reading 'Urban Sea of Green'
April 21, 2007

Bloom: prepares to survive
Orlando Bloom is taking time out from acting to study Buddhism, and is building a nearly off-grid home in London at the same time, showing he is serious about leading a life apart from the normal showbiz success story.
Orlando says he needs time to reflect on what’s going on in his life.
“I've been white knuckling it for so long. Between the first Lord Of The Rings and Last Pirates Of The Caribbean, I've been going non stop. So now I just want some time and space from everything and the phone and communication.”
“The philosophy I've embraced isn't about sitting under a tree and studying my navel,” he says.
»Keep reading 'Orlando Bloom’s Epiphany'