Sydney, Australia, June 29, 2009 - Junglefy Pty Ltd, one of Australia's up and coming sustainable technology companies announces the launch of its operations dedicated to bringing urban spaces to life. Junglefy's expertise encompasses the consultation, design, installation and maintenance of Green Roofs and Green Walls.

We work with clients to assess their situation and needs in order to develop customised solutions that maximise the benefits of federal, state and local incentives, said Jock Gammon, Principal of Junglefy Pty Ltd.

Comprised of a team of experienced professionals, Junglefy understands the nuances and complexities involved in completing a successful green roof or wall installation.

Junglefy is highly committed to advancing the growing green roofs and green walls industry both locally and globally.

Sydney, Australia, July 02, 2009 - The green roof industry in Australia is very new when compared to other countries around the world.  There has been a slow take up of roofs being incorporated into new or existing rooftops.  This is due in part to the economic slowdown, with larger developments being shelved or greatly scaled back.  Unfortunately the perception of green roofs is that they are a feature that can be left out of a build.  As with landscaping, they are one of the last features to be installed on a building usually after the development budget has blown out.  Buildings are still able to achieve a six star rating without a green roof being installed.  The following quotes give a good indication as to the sentiment of green roofs in Australia currently.

But most "green buildings" in Australia do not have green roofs - including Lend Lease's The Gauge in Docklands, which recently achieved a 6-star rating through the Green Building Council. Its architect, Darren Kindrachuk, said concept plans had included a green rooftop, "but when it came down to it, we had to balance design with cost benefits - We were getting higher value in terms of water and energy conservation from other technologies," he said, adding that staff had access to a "green space" in the building's broad balcony.
Woods Bagot landscape architect Tim O'Loan wrote in a recent paper that the cost of a green roof in Australia would be "approximately four times that of a simple lightweight roof structure" and that even the simplest "extensive" living roof, which has a shallower surface, would cost about $50 a square metre, not including the supporting concrete slab.

In order for the industry to develop and thrive in Australia a number of things need to happen.  Pilot projects between government bodies, universities and the private sector need to be implemented to allow architects, planners and other decision maker to see the social, economic and environmental benefits of green roofs.  Tax incentives need to be offered to developers to encourage them to include green roofs in their projects and legislation needs to be passed making green roof installations mandatory on certain types of new or existing buildings. 

The proof is out there that green roofs do have a real benefit to the environment, the wallet and society and Australia needs to draw on this proof and aim to become a world leader.  Australia is one of the driest continents in the world and as a result has developed some of the best irrigation technologies that can be applied to create water efficient green roofs.

Not sure if you have seen this, but there recently have been reports circulated about green walls failing around Australia and also around the world.  Please see this link:  Failing London Green Wall  for an article about a recent green wall failure in London.

How the wall got to this stage is beyond me.  In order for larger scale walls to be successful into the future they need to be maintained on a regular basis. Imagine what your garden would look like if it was neglected for 3 years?  The maintenance of a green wall needs to be conducted by qualified and experienced professionals who are able to identify potential problems before they get out of control.  The failure that you see in the article could be the result of a number of factors including over or under watering, over fertilising, poor plant choices, pump failure, pests, moulds and fungi or bad design.  A regular maintenance regime should be able to identify these problems before it is too late.

I have observed similar occurrences here in Australia which is unfortunate as Green Walls with the right care can truly be a magnificent addition to any indoor or outdoor space. I believe it is the responsibility of professionals like myself to advise and guide people on how to obtain a long-lasting and vibrant Green Wall. Maintenance is a key part of this technology and without it is doomed from the word go.

If you are looking to install a green wall then please don't be put off by the failures that are occurring.  These are the result of poor planning, poor design, poor installation and poor maintenance.  Make sure that you subscribe to an ongoing maintenance program to protect your investment into the future.  It is a small price to pay to keep your wall looking healthy into the future. 

Happy vertical gardening and maintaining,
Jock

This year Junglefy is the sponsor of the City of Sydney's Live Green House.  The Live Green House is a modular mobile home that showcases sustainable building practices and technologies that can be incorporated into new builds or retrofitted into existing buildings.  Junglefy showcased three technologies; the ecoVert™ Home, the ecoVert™ Pro and a dog house with a green roof.  All three technologies attracted a fantastic response and opened peoples minds to the opportunites of incorporating such technologies into their houses or apartments.
Please click on the following links for further details and a time lapse of the installation. Live Green House and Live Green Time Lapse
The Live Green house will be on display at Martin Place in Sydney on the 9th & 10th of November and again during Chinese New Year celebrations from the 12th - 14th of February 2010.

GREEN ROOF BEETROOT

I wanted to show you an example of some food I have been growing on the roof of my chook house.  This beetroot was grown in a 75mm media profile using only coconut fibre.  Slow release fertiliser and sub surface irrigation have been incorporated as part of the installation.  The smaller beetroots were grown in the garden and granted they may not have received the same amount of moisture it goes to show that there is a real opportunity to grow food on the rooftops in our towns and cities.

I have had great success growing all herbs, spring onions, peas, lettuce and spinach.  The shallow profile shows that food can be grown on existing buildings with retrofits, on shed roofs, dog houses or  any other such roof. 

I believe for rooftop installations where food is being grown, a mineral media is not essential as changing the growing media on a 2-5 year basis is easily done.  This can mean that lighter weight organic media can be used thereby creating a much larger scope for green roof installations.