News: August 2005

An unlikely champion of the concept of 'green roofs' has emerged in the shape of Canary Wharf in London.

A 31 storey high-rise green roof has been created on Canary Wharf by Barclays Bank, creating an oasis for wildlife, 160 metres above the ground at its global HQ. The roof is designed to attract one of Britain's rarest breeding birds, the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) which nests on nearby 'brown-field' sites. Given the amount of 'wasted' space on the nation's millions of roofs, green roofs could have a potentially huge impact for many species of birds and, in particular, invertebrates. Green roofs are also good for the climate and water-cycle, retaining water which would otherwise have gone straight down the drain.

Kay Harrison. Birds to flock to green roof. Viewed at http://icthewharf.icnetwork.co.uk/thisweek/news/tm_objectid=15868424&method=full&siteid=71670&headline=birds-to-flock-to-green-roof-name_page.html on August 22nd 2005.