Suivi Cayla

Monitoring flora and substrate on the green roofs of the Cayla school

As part of the installation of green roofs on the Cayla school building, the City of Geneva's Department of Built Heritage, with the support of the Cantonal Office for Agriculture and Nature, decided to experiment the implementation of two innovative methods proposed by HEPIA, aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the site:

1. The use of a drainage layer based on local gravel, to replace the drainage matting normally used;
    
2. The application of a substrate essentially composed of local material to be upgraded (Horizon B) over half of the surface to be revegetated, as an alternative to topsoil (Horizon A) widely used in the development of green spaces.

HEPIA research groups Plant Ecology Applied to Restoration and Conservation and Soils and Substrates will monitor the vegetation and substrates over three consecutive years.

The results of the monitoring will be used to understand the behaviour and development of the innovations tested, with the aim of optimising the conception and installation of future green roofs in the city of Geneva.