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Green Roofs Enhance the Natural Beauty in Georgia

www.worldarchitecturenews.com

Recent unfortunate events in the Republic of Georgia can't take away from the natural beauty found in the Meskheti Mountain Range.  Full of lush forests, clean air, and a moderate climate, no better spot for a resort could be found.  The only thing to improve the site and its natural beauty is the presence of green roofs.

Henning Larsen Architects, in collaboration with consulting engineers Buro Happold, won an international competition for this stunning new resort.  Located in the Georgian town of Abastumani, near the southern slope of the Meskheti Range at the entrance to the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, this 200-room hotel, conference center, and spa, will feature terraced green roofs, allowing the facility to seamlessly blend into the landscape.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/

I found this story in World Architecture News, which I receive as a weekly newsletter.  I mention this to note the continued, upward trend in the use of green roofs on commercial spaces.

While having a green roof on a spa near a national park doesn't require much imagination, it does take a conscious effort to use green roofs in a design.  While major cities such as London, Chicago, and Mexico City are leaders in commercial green roofs, it is good to see their use spread through greater parts of the world.

Perhaps the rest of the world can see the both the aesthetic and practical value of green roofs and start putting them on houses, as the Swiss and Germans have done.