To bolster the green credentials of the FCO in Croatia, the BE Zagreb now boasts a “Grass Roof”.  Where staff could once only see a dull, ugly and lifeless flat roof, there now grows a (small) field of sedums and native Croatian plant species.

Apart from the obvious aesthetic improvement, the new roof cover also provides better thermal and sound insulation to the offices below (reducing utility costs), offsets part of our local carbon footprint, and attracts city wildlife. It’s also quite a local talking point; grass roofs are a relatively new concept in Croatia, and we’re one of the first to install a green roof on an existing building. As well as improving our own environmental credentials we hope it will provide an example to others, and reinforce the wider messages we want to make about the importance of environmental issues.

The practicalities of installing the roof were quite complex; BE Zagreb is in a rented building and it took some time to convince our landlords of the wisdom of piling soil on their roof. But ultimately the final product has been very well received and the roof is now officially classified as an enhancement to the building

The attached picture shows the roof at the beginning of its vegetation period when its yet to reach its full cover. The plants used are predominantly different types of sedum; these do not require constant maintenance and were ideal as they have shallow roots that do not require a large soil level.

Our grass roof is only part of the Zagreb greening initiative and we hope to publish details of further successful projects in the near future.