Summary
The brown roof occupies a sub-section (300 m2) of the International Convention Centre (ICC) building off Broad Street in Birmingham, in the UK. It is designed to provide demolition site brownfield type habitat in early to mid stages of succession. It aims to provide habitat for the rare, Schedule 1 protected (Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981) bird, the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), and a wide range of brownfield associated birds, plants and invertebrates. The project was funded by SITA Trust from the Landfill Communities Fund, SWITCH and the Birmingham Environmental Partnership. It was led by Groundwork Birmingham and Solihull in partnership with Advantage West Midlands, the East Birmingham North Solihull Regeneration Zone, Birmingham and Black Country Biodiversity Partnership, Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Environmental Partnership, the Environment Agency, The NEC Group, LivingRoofs, the Green Roof Consultancy and the University of Birmingham. The development of the roof is being monitored by The University of Birmingham.
Roof description
The substrate on the brown roof is a mix of (1) cobbles that were already present on the roof to hold the roof insulation down, (2) quarried gravel, (3) sand, and (4) recycled demolition aggregate (silt and clay removed in processing) generously supplied by Coleman and Company. Several additional habitat resources were included in the roof design; namely, pure sand piles that can act as nest sites for ground nesting bees and wasps, large rocks for invertebrates to hide and over-winter under, and small log piles that invertebrates can hide under and birds can perch on.
Map of roof
Sediment size distribution by weight in different microhabitats of the ICC brown roof
Development photographs
View 1 – Hover mouse over photograph to show the date taken, and click to enlarge
View 2 – Hover mouse over photograph to show the date taken, and click to enlarge
Gallery
Hover mouse over photograph to see the photograph caption and click to enlarge.
Species known to have used the brown roof as habitat
This section is updated regularly, but is not necessarily up to date because of the time necessary to identify samples and process data.
Flowering plants
Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore)
Agrostemma githago (Corn cockle)
Anthyllis vulneraria (Kidney vetch)
Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale cress)
Buddleja davidii (Butterfly-bush removed) Capsella bursa-pastoris (Shepherd's purse)
Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy bitter-cress)
Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower)
Cerastium fontanum (Common mouse ear)
Cerastium glomeratum (Sticky mouse ear)
Conyza canadensis (Canadian fleabane)
Daucus carota (Wild carrot)
Echium vulgare (Viper's-bugloss)
Epilobium ciliatum (American willowherb)
Epilobium montanum (Broad-leaved willowherb)
Epilobium parviflorum (Hoary willowherb)
Epilobium tetragonum (Square-stalked willowherb)
Galium aparine (Cleavers or goosegrass)
Geranium columbinum (Long-stalked crane's-bill)
Leontodon hispidus (Rough hawkbit)
Leucanthemum vulgare (Oxeye daisy)
Linaria vulgaris (Common toadflax)
Lotus corniculatus (Common bird's-foot-trefoil)
Matricaria recutita (Scented mayweed)
Medicago lupulina (Black medick)
Myosotis ramosissima (Early forget-me-not)
Papaver dubium (Long-headed poppy)
Papaver rhoeas (Common poppy)
Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort plantain)
Polygonum aviculare (Knotgrass)
Prunella vulgaris (Selfheal)
Ranunculus bulbosus (Bulbous buttercup)
Rumex obtusifolius (Broad-leaved dock)
Sagina procumbens (Procumbent pearlwort)
Sanguisorba minor (Salad burnet)
Sedum acre (Biting stonecrop)
Senecio jacobaea (Common ragwort)
Senecio vulgaris (Groundsel)
Silene vulgaris (Bladder campion)
Sisymbrium officinale (Hedge mustard)
Sonchus asper (Prickly sowthistle)
Sonchus oleraceus (Smooth sowthistle)
Stellaria media (Common chickweed)
Trifolium arvense (Hare's-foot clover)
Veronica persica (Common field-speedwell)
Veronica serpyllifolia (Thyme-leaved speedwell)
Viola tricolor (Wild pansy)
Invertebrates
Aleochara bipustulata (a rove beetle)
Aloconota gregaria (a rove beetle)
Aloconota planifrons (a rove beetle)
Aloconota sulcifrons (a rove beetle)
Amischa analis (a rove beetle)
Amischa forcipata (a rove beetle)
Anotylus nitidulus (a rove beetle)
Bathyphantes gracilis (a money spider)
Bembidion quadrimaculatum (a ground beetle)
Carpelimus zealandicus (a rove beetle)
Cercyon haemorrhoidalis (related to water beetles)
Coccinella 7-punctata (seven-spotted ladybird) Cryptophagus acutangulus (a silken fungus beetle)Diplocephalus cristatus (a money spider)Erigone atra (a money spider) Erigone dentipalpis (a money spider)Lepthyphantes leprosus (a money spider) Lepthyphantes tenuis (a money spider)Liogluta longiuscula (a rove beetle)Mocyta amplicollis (a rove beetle)Mocyta fungi agg. (a rove beetle)
Monocephalus fuscipes (a money spider) Oedothorax apicatus (a money spider) Oedothorax fuscus (a money spider) Oedothorax retusus (a money spider)Omalium excavatum (a rove beetle)Oxypoda brevicornis (a rove beetle)Oxypoda haemorrhoa (a rove beetle)Porrhomma pygmaeum (a money spider)Trechus quadristriatus (a ground beetle)Birds
Corvus corone corone (Carrion crow)Oenanthe oenanthe (Wheatear)Matacilla alba (Pied wagtail)
