From the Blog

Bastille’s booming blooming rooftop garden

Posted on July 12, 2013 //

by MELISSA PETERMAN, Eater Seattle, July 11, 2013

Photo: Geoffrey Smith/LookatLao Studio Source: www.seattle.eater.com

Photo: Geoffrey Smith/LookatLao Studio
Source: www.seattle.eater.com

Welcome back to Up on the Rooftop, a monthly column by Seattle Slow Food board member and writer Melissa Peterman, who gets up close and personal with Seattle’s mile-high club in the form of (mostly) rooftop gardens.

With the incredible spring weather we had, and what’s shaping up to be a summer to match, diners can expect to see more rooftop garden produce taking center stage on Seattle menus. This month, we talk to Jason Stoneburner about how things have been progressing with his rooftop garden at Bastille and what he’s most excited about this summer (like, those awesome rooftop dinners). It should be noted that at the time of this interview, Stoneburner had not yet opened, but chef Jason says that he is definitely sharing produce from Bastille’s rooftop garden with his namesake restaurant, especially when it’s in full-swing like it is right now.

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New Seasons Market roof now home to bee colonies

Posted on July 12, 2013 //

by STOVER E. HARGER III, The Columbian, July 10, 2013

Portland beekeeper Damian Magista taps a container on July 8 to persuade thousands of honey bees to enter their new home on the roof of the Fisher's Landing New Seasons Market Photo: Stover E. Harger III Source: www.columbian.com

Portland beekeeper Damian Magista taps a container on July 8 to persuade thousands of honey bees to enter their new home on the roof of the Fisher’s Landing New Seasons Market
Photo: Stover E. Harger III
Source: www.columbian.com

Honey, they’re home.

Two honeybee colonies — made up of nearly 50,000 pollinators — now live on the roof of the Fisher’s Landing New Seasons Market, part of the regional chain’s new “Bee Part of the Solution” campaign. The company did the same in April at its store in Happy Valley, Ore.

The goal is not only to provide the bees with a safe place to raise their brood and make honey, but spark further dialogue on the precarious plight of the important insects. By next spring, the rooftop bees’ ranks could grow to more than 120,000.

The Portland beekeeper who was hired to help kick-start the campaign said it might just raise awareness about dwindling bee populations and ongoing threats to their survival, such as pesticides, parasites and disease.

“A piece like this is a great way to start that conversation,” said Damian Magista, owner of honey company Bee Local.

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Detroit Opera House offers cheap view of Tigers games

Posted on July 12, 2013 //

by The Associated Press, The Oakland Press, July 12, 2013

DETROIT (AP) — The newest seats at the Detroit Opera House offer baseball fans a view of on-field action at the home of the Detroit Tigers.

The Coors Light Sky Deck, which has its grand opening Friday, offers a rooftop beer garden, bleachers and a view into Comerica Park from straightaway center field of most of the baseball action, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The rooftop is about 450 feet from the center field wall, and more than 900 feet from home plate. Still, visitors can follow each pitch. The crack of bats and the roar of the crowd inside Comerica Park can be heard, and there’s a view of the city — as well as a full bar.

“It’s a fantastic view,” said Jon Coutts, general manager of the Detroit Courtyard Marriott, who was given a rooftop tour during Thursday’s afternoon game between the Tigers and the White Sox. “You feel like you’re in the mix, but not in the crowd.”

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Un site pour connaître le potentiel en panneaux solaires des toits de Paris

Posted on July 12, 2013 //

par lemoniteur.fr, 26 juin 2013

Les Parisiens peuvent désormais savoir si leur immeuble a le bon potentiel pour y poser un panneau solaire en cliquant sur une carte mise en ligne mercredi 26 juin, avec une surface réellement exploitable estimée à un peu plus de 1% des toits de la capitale.

Peut-on installer des panneaux photovoltaïques sur tous les toits parisiens ? Vous pouvez désormais vérifier grâce à www.cadastresolaire.paris.fr

“C’est un nouvel outil à disposition des Parisiens pour évaluer leurs possibilités d’installations” d’un panneau thermique ou photovoltaïque, a expliqué mercredi 26 juin l’adjoint chargé du développement durable à la mairie de Paris, René Dutrey, lors de la présentation du premier cadastre solaire de France.

En entrant leur adresse sur le site, les Parisiens peuvent identifier d’un coup d’oeil, grâce à un code couleur, le potentiel solaire de leur toit calculé à partir des données météorologiques des dernières années et des effets d’ombres des immeubles ou des arbres.

Le potentiel est jugé “favorable” s’il est supérieur à 1.000 kwh/m2 par an.

Ainsi, on peut apprendre que sur les toits les plus élevés du palais de l’Elysée, l’ensoleillement annuel moyen est de 815 kwh/m2 par an et que le potentiel le plus favorable s’étend sur une surface de 851 m2.

Pour en savoir plus sur la faisabilité technique, les règles architecturales à respecter ou la rentabilité de l’installation d’éventuels panneaux, le site propose à l’usager, par un clic, d’être renvoyé vers celui de l’Agence parisienne du climat pour y être conseillé.

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Strawscraper concept calls for a wind energy-harvesting toupee

Posted on July 12, 2013 //

by Jonathan Fincher, Gizmag, May 23, 2013

Image: Belatchew Arkitekter Source: www.belatchew.com

Image: Belatchew Arkitekter
Source: www.belatchew.com

Despite being the most common renewable energy technologies, solar panels and wind turbines still have their shortcomings. Particularly when it comes to the urban environment. Lack of space and concerns about noise are just two problems with integrating them into city settings in an unobtrusive way. That’s why Belatchew Arkitekter wants to try a different approach with its Strawscraper concept, which proposes transforming the Söder Torn building in Stockholm into an urban wind farm by covering it in piezoelectric fibers.

When the Söder Torn building was originally proposed, its design called for 40 stories to be built, but construction was halted in 1997 at only 25 floors. Belatchew Labs, a studio within Belatchew Arkitekter, wants to revisit the taller design, providing space for extra residences while also converting the new sections into an urban wind farm.

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Pour Lionel Carli, il faut « faire une pause » avant de construire à tout-va en ville

Posted on July 12, 2013 //

par le Service Architecture et Urbanisme / avec AFP, lemoniteur.fr, 26 juin 2013

Dans un interview à l’Agence France Presse (AFP), Lionel Carli, le président du Conseil national de l’Ordre des architectes (Cnoa), a appelé les élus locaux à se servir avec prudence de leurs futurs outils pour accélérer la construction de logements neufs, les invitant à « faire une pause », avant de se lancer.

Le Cnoa peut sembler à contre-courant, alors que la pénurie de logements et l’urgence à relancer le secteur de la construction occupent l’agenda. Lionel Carli assume. Dans un entretien à l’AFP, il estime que les élus locaux doivent faire “un diagnostic urbain, architectural et paysager”. La loi habilitant le gouvernement à recourir à des ordonnances pour relancer la construction de logements neufs, adoptée au Parlement le 19 juin, prévoit notamment d’autoriser des dérogations aux règles d’urbanisme pour surélever certains immeubles, construire moins de places de parkings ou encore faciliter la transformation de bureaux vides en logements. Ces mesures vont “globalement dans le bon sens” admet Lionel Carli, pour qui ce “déverrouillage” des règles permettra d’”ouvrir le champ des possibles” en matière d’urbanisme.

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