GREEN & BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE
The Palmers team has a wealth of experience of transporting substrates onto elevated areas and they decided to blow the substrate utilising a specialist topsoil pumping wagon .
Adam Palmer of Palmer Landscapes comments ,
“ It was an innovative solution which required extensive planning and many trial runs . There were concerns over the quality of the planting material once it had been blown and we had disaster plans , should any machines breakdown . However , testing off-site and a great team behind us , helped us achieve the import of soil in 7 days .”
Green-tree roof garden substrate is lightweight and free-draining and was purpose mixed for this site . It is manufactured from an environmentally sustainable compost of recycled materials and lightweight aggregate .
The team worked closely with Palmers to coordinate timed , scheduled deliveries that adhered to tight city centre restrictions as well as requirements to keep a steady flow of substrate for the topsoil pumping wagon . The teams worked weekends and evenings to adhere to movement restrictions .
Adam continues ,
“ The Green-tree substrate was specifically selected for its green credentials , which appealed to both the client and main contractor . We have used this substrate on other roof gardens and knew that it would offer quick establishment which was exactly what this site needed .”
Green-tree substrate was delivered to the site on a grab wagon . The substrate was then transferred to a pumping wagon and over 100m of pipeline was used for the substrate transfer . Overall , it took seven days to complete the import of the substrate . Smaller planted areas , employed a conveyor method where the substrate was placed on the conveyor belt tipped over the walls and barrowed to site .
The imported substrate created mounded plant beds and large turfed areas to the central courtyards to create the social spaces between the four buildings .
Mark Browne , Key Account Manager at Green-tech added ,
“ I have worked with Palmers for a long time and I was delighted to be involved in this project .
We needed to work closely together to make sure the flow of substrate was constant and delivered exactly when they needed it . I am delighted that this project has won them a BALI award . It ’ s a fabulous urban landscaping project that the Palmers team worked incredibly hard to deliver .” www . green-tech . co . uk
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