The High Line is a famous park in Manhattan, laid out on the site of an elevated railroad.
In 1930, a 2.5 km railroad line was built in Manhattan at an altitude of 5 to 9 meters for the transport of goods, and in 1980 it was closed. Only in the late 1990s, after stormy public protection and recognition of the High Line as a historical monument in 2002, it was decided not to disassemble, but to transform the paths into a park alley. From that moment on, the best architects and landscape designers competed to participate in a project called the "Hanging Garden".
The victory was won by a team of landscape architect James Corner and his Field Operations bureau, architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and renowned landscape designer Piet Oudolf, who also landscaped the Millennium Park in Chicago. The concept developed by them set the goal of preserving the nature of flora and fauna that had developed on the flyover for 20 years, and rails were left in the same place to remind about the history of this structure. In addition to the promenade, observation decks, ponds, terraces and public areas with benches have been designed, which can be used both for recreation and for performances, art exhibitions and educational programs. And, of course, there are beautiful views of the Hudson River, Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty from here.
During the project, Field Operations developed a special concrete pavement for the paving of the original "jagged" shape, which allows you to organize the actual solid pedestrian paths between the rails and plant plants literally under your feet, enhancing the effect of free-growing greenery. A total of 210 plant species were selected, including many shrubs and trees that grow on a substrate up to 45 cm thick.
The landscape of the "high-rise park" is varied: from very humid, bog-like places, to steppe grasses and lawns with trees. For example, the High Line between Manhattan's 20th and 22nd Streets is densely planted with flowering shrubs and small trees, while between 26th and 29th Streets, hardy, drought-resistant grasses and perennials that bloom or change color predominate. during a year. In the "Forest Zone" (25th and 26th streets) you can enjoy your vacation under the crowns of large trees …. The High Line project team, having designed a roof garden on an abandoned overpass, filled the central area of one of the largest metropolitan areas on the planet with wildflowers, green foliage, birdsong and the magical scents of meadows and forests.
All this "green" splendor was made possible by the technologies of the world leader in the green roofing market ZinCo GmbH, an innovator in the field of extensive and intensive greening of roofs. To drain the longest roof in the world, the ZinCo system based on the Floradrain drainage and storage element was used® and several filtering and protective layers. Due to its original form in the form of small plastic containers (for the substar and subsequent plants), assembled in a plane matrix, the Floradrain system of elements® allows you to accumulate the optimal amount of moisture to ensure the life of plants and regulate the outflow of excess water through the overflow holes. Excess water is discharged through the storm water system. Tens of thousands of Floradrain elements® the entire horizontal surface of the High Line was covered. The size and design of Floradrain elements for the root system of different types of plants allows planting not only grasses, flowers and shrubs, but even trees in the substrate.
Most importantly, ZinCo's US office provided architects and landscape designers with accurate product performance information and installation guidelines. “The High Line project is in many ways the best example of how green roofing technologies can improve or even create ecosystems in densely populated urban areas. Converting unused space into green spaces is the future of cities around the world. ZinCo USA is proud to be an important link in this revolutionary project,”says Nicholas Smith, National Manager at ZinCo USA.
The idea of a green High Line Park spread around the world. Urban designers from Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore and Jerusalem are inspired by the project, and the project and its creators have already won many awards.
High Line Park's widespread acceptance clearly shows that residents of big cities do not want long trips to nature, but prefer to enjoy nature right outside their doorstep. At the same time, a significant economic factor was revealed - a green ecosystem significantly increases the investment attractiveness of the region. This is another argument in favor of rooftop gardens in public spaces. Z The new, well-proven ZinCo roof greening technology opens up a lot of possibilities and provides a number of benefits from use.
Representative office of ZinCo in Russia - ZinCo RUS has adapted ZinCo technologies for Russian climatic conditions and has been actively using them at Russian facilities for many years.
