How To Get To The Roof Gardens

Rockefeller center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st.

How to get to the roof gardens.

New roof gardens are often seen to be an extra floor and if you live in a conservation area or in a listed building you ll need to check any plans with the local authority. Origin of green roofs the scandinavian countries have been using them for centuries. Evaluate your roof s loading capacity. Even if a roof terrace is already authorised for garden use many structures need permission from the property management company or local authority.

Rooftop gardens can become a sanctuary. You ll need easy access to the roof to transport materials tools soil and plants up and down. The loading capacity is how much weight your roof structure can support. Some buildings were simply not designed to withstand the additional weight a rooftop garden would add.

The rockefeller center roof gardens were constructed between 1933 and 1936. The intensive ones are like regular or vegetable gardens needing greater care and the extensive ones hardly need to be tended annually though they are not usually used. Monitor your building s sun exposure. A living roof allows storm water to be absorbed where soil organisms can break down toxins and the outflow drains away gradually.

Check with your city s building codes. A green roof protects the roof membrane from climatic extremes and physical abuse thereby greatly increasing the life expectancy of the roof. You don t need the architect or contractor for the whole garden building process but you will need them to tell you if the building is safe to build a rooftop garden on. Consult with the building engineer.

Second get an architect or contractor involved as soon as possible. The five roof gardens perched atop the 7th floor of rockefeller center have been in existence since the mid 1930 s and continue to provide beautiful greenspace as well as visual ammenity for the surrounding skyscrapers. It s a good idea to consult with the building manager or engineer to ensure that the roof can support the weight of your garden. In big cities where space is at a premium rooftop gardens are coveted getaway spots attractive to potential renters as a social spot or spirit building retreat.

Review your municipality s building codes before beginning construction to. One of the great benefits of roof gardens vertical gardens and green roofs is that by protecting the underlying roof covering they extend the life of the existing roof fabric by up to 200.