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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 06/2003
Living Rooftop Enriches the Spirit and the Shop
by Whitney Gould
For most property owners, the roof is the thing you forget about until it leaks. For Deborah Kern, a roof is a source of psychic and environmental renewal. Kern's stylish Shorewood shop for garden equipment and plants, the Garden Room, 2107 E. Capitol Drive, has a "green" roof -- the first of its kind in the area. Ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials encircle a gabled skylight and a pathway of recycled brick. To build the 40-by-40 foot roof garden atop what had been a derelict auto-repair shop required new structural supports, footings, a dense layering of composted soils and special drainage and irrigation systems. The project, designed by Buettner & Associates, recently won an award of excellence at a Greening Rooftops for Healthy Cities conference in Chicago. Kern talked about her year-old green roof with Whitney Gould, the Journal Sentinel's urban landscape writer.
Q. So how is this little oasis working out? Were there any glitches?
A. It's exactly what I expected, just a delight. I come up here during the day to eat lunch, and it's a nice place to have a glass of wine at the end of a day. I've never seen plants grow like this. But we did have to shift gears in getting the soil up here. Originally, they were hauling it up on the elevator, bag by bag. We eventually had to rent a crane to get it all up here. Also, the winter was so dry that we had to put bags of ice in the tree pots.
Q. Why is this worth all the trouble?
A. For me, the biggest reason is that it's so aesthetically pleasing. Some of the best gardens are these small, secret spaces -- kind of like haiku. But it also has environmental benefits. A green roof absorbs store water runoff. It insulates the building so my heating bills are not so high. It keeps the building cool for a long time, so I don't have to turn on the air conditioning until it gets really hot. It also helps control the "urban heat island efect" (the impact of asphalt and paved surfaces in absorbing and spilling back heat in cities).
Q. I notice that the apartment building next door looks out on your roof. How do your neighbors react to it?
A. One woman was a little disconcerted by having people outside her window, because she was used to more privacy. But other tenants came over and told us how much they enjoy it.
Q. How long is the life span of a green roof?
A. We'll find out, I guess. But we know from experience elsewhere that it can extend the life of a roof because the (roof materials) are not exposed to sunlight and the elements. I expect this one to be still going strong for at least 50 years, long after I'm gone.
Q. I know that a couple of other green roofs are in the works in these parts. But will this movement ever be anything other than just a niche market?
A. You see more and more people gardening in their own yards, and this is not any more work once you get it established. I strongly believe we'll see more and more green roofs around here. It's only a matter of time before Milwaukee steps up to the plate.
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