Green Roof Tour Silvercup Studios

On Saturday, February 3rd we braved a cold New York morning for the Green Roof Tour at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens. It was co-sponsored by the Wagner Environmental Policy in Action (WEPA) group and UPSA. Silvercup Studios boasts the largest green roof in NYC over the buildings where they shot The Sopranos, Sex and The City and are now shooting 30 ROCK.

Here’s a view of one of the roofs:

Each roof is made up of planter-box modules. The modularity made it easier to install and maintain:

The Green Roof is monitored for temperature differences between the plantings and bare roof:

The tour ended below the landmark Silvercup bakery sign:

Green roofs are somewhat controversial. Proponents tout their energy-saving and runoff-reducing qualities, along with their aesthetic beauty. However there are others who point out that energy savings could be acheived simply by painting the roof white, and that the expense for aesthetics are wasted on a roof where nobody can see it. Street trees would be much less expensive and much more available. These are interesting arguments and certainly worth considering. I personally like the idea of green roofs because they increase habitat that has been lost to development. Birds, animals and native plants need a place to live. Bio-diversity cannot be enhanced simply by painting the roof white. For me this alone would be reason for planting greenery on the roof.

Update:
See also this interesting article by Michon Scott on research by Gaffin et al.