Green roofs are slowly becoming the norm, and the flat parts of the roof of the Old Markethall are very suitable for their implementation.
The benefits are indisputable
The main advantages of green roofs include:
- Extending the life of the insulating film up to twice
- Thermal insulation
- Reducing the risk of an urban heat island
- Cooling of the building surface, the temperature in the building but also the air in the surroundings by up to several degrees (microclimate)
- Retention of rainwater, reducing the pressure on the sewage system during excessive rainfall
- Improvement of air ionization in the surroundings
- Natural dust filtration
- Support of urban biodiversity and others
We did not want to create only a passive green roof, but to use this space and its potential to strengthen the function of the Old Market as a city center.
It is clear from the points mentioned above that green roofs are a way to increase the quality of life in the city, but also a suitable form of adaptation to climate change. However, we decided to go one step further in the Old Markethall. We did not want to create only a passive green roof, but to use this space and its potential to strengthen the function of the Old Market as a city center.
Therefore, we are preparing the Green Roof project in a participatory way from the beginning. In two rounds of questionnaires for the wider public and the local community, we collected the suggestions and needs of visitors to the building, and based on them, we decided that the green roof will be designed in the form of an urban farm, a community garden, but also a small rooftop park with facilities for outdoor events. This is how we try to combine the need for reconstruction with environmental and social needs.
Green roofs are slowly becoming the norm, and the flat parts of the roof of the Old Markethall are very suitable for their implementation.
The first step was to establish an experimental community garden. Her goal was to spend as much time as possible on the roof and observe the environment in the changes of the time of day and seasons. During this period, we research which plants are suitable for cultivation in this specific environment and which are not, which solutions can be used here, and at the same time we build a community of enthusiasts and volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to this project. The community garden was created in the spring of 2022 and has been slowly expanding since then.
In the fall of 2022, in cooperation with the School of Permaculture, we developed documents for the future shape of the roof. As part of this process, we used all available knowledge from the field of permaculture and landscape architecture, which form the basis for an architectural study and construction project. Within these documents, we tried to discover various "smart" solutions, synergies, ecological and energy-saving solutions in order to achieve the maximum effect with a minimum of costs, and at the same time so that the design of the green roof serves its future purpose and hires its users as accurately as possible.
If everything goes according to plan, in the coming years we would like to gradually reconstruct the flat roofs of the building and implement the proposed design on them.
Composting station
28. August 2023
Did you know that during standard operation we can produce up to 100 kg of biodegradable waste in one day in the entire Old Market? Since we are constantly trying to be more ecological, thanks to Slovenská sporiteľna we purchased an industrial electric composter at the beginning of 2021, which can transform this waste into valuable compost that can be used again in the ecosystem. Read more
Second chance
27. August 2023
There are many ways to reduce the ecological impact of our activities. One of them is the reuse of things that have already been used or are being used. The original owner is no longer interested in them, but someone else can still use them. Sometimes a certain material appears to be waste, but for a skilled craftsman it is a valuable raw material. So things get a second chance to be useful. Read more
The Green Market project is implemented with the financial support of the Green Education Fund 5/2023 in the form of a subsidy from the Environmental Fund.
