Urban roof gardens

CEBU, Philippines - One of the biggest challenges of urban living is keeping a healthy environment. The crucial part of the challenge is growing greens - plants that cleanse the air that the urbanites breathe and help cool their surroundings. And, better, if the plants also augment the daily food supply.

In 2001, new buildings in Tokyo, Japan, covering more than a 1,000 square-meter area were required to green at least 20 percent of their useable roof space to combat the "heat island effect."  Urban planners praised the policy. They fully understood the great need and the timeliness of the idea.

But it was hardly an original idea. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, built over 2500 years ago, already engineered an unforgettable ascending tier of gardens populated with all kinds of trees, shrubs, and vines. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Urban roof gardens, as known today, are proven to bring environmental, economic, and emotional benefits. And they are no longer a far-fetched concept for Filipinos. The Rockwell Center and Greenbelt 5 in Makati, the Medical City in Pasig, the Mind Museum in Taguig, and the Sarossa Hotel in Cebu City all use the European-designed DAKU Roof Garden Engineering System for their in-building ecosystems.

The environmentally sensible roof-garden technology is becoming a favorite feature of building design today. And DAKU, exclusively installed by a pioneering Filipino company Specserv, is often the choice of distributors and consumers alike because of its extensive knowledge on waterproofing for the past three decades now. (FREEMAN)