Urban Gardens
Top Ideabooks
Landscape Design
Top Ideabooks
- How to Turn a Side Yard Into a Glorious Garden Room
- How Low Can Hedges Go? Discover Unusual Garden Borders
- 5 Essential Considerations for a Landscape Design Project
- See 6 Homes That Rise to the Rural Landscape
- Take Your Garden on a Rural Route With Plant-Dominant Designs
- 8 Outdoor Playspace Ideas to Nurture Kids' Imaginations
9 Urban Gardening Tips From Hong Kong Rooftops
Create a refuge from city chaos with these ideas gathered from rooftops as practical as they are picturesque
| Share: |
|
Hong Kong is a concrete jungle — dense and filled with towering skyscrapers. Hong Kong's rooftops can become the perfect refuge from this chaotic city, and those with plant life can help better the air quality too.
Whether you live in Hong Kong or Houston, if you live on the top level of your apartment building, you hold the golden ticket to solving a city dweller's number-one design dilemma: lack of outdoor space.
Check out these Hong Kong rooftop designs and ideas to help you increase your urban home's square footage beautifully.
Whether you live in Hong Kong or Houston, if you live on the top level of your apartment building, you hold the golden ticket to solving a city dweller's number-one design dilemma: lack of outdoor space.
Check out these Hong Kong rooftop designs and ideas to help you increase your urban home's square footage beautifully.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| 1. Choose comfortable, durable furniture. Resin rattan is an excellent solution for outdoor furniture in Hong Kong. Unlike metal furniture, the resin rattan won't scorch you if the furniture has been left in the direct sun — as it often is during hot Hong Kong summers. Choose fabric that will survive in your respective climate — I look for fabrics that will hold up in Hong Kong's humid and tepid climate. 2. Shade your space. This white pergola offers shade and protection from the sun's UV rays with Perspex panels. Outdoor blinds installed around the perimeter provide optimal privacy from neighbors and refuge from the heat. For a DIY option, drape fabric to create a colorful shaded spot for afternoon tea. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
3. Double your cooking space. This outdoor kitchen has a complete setup for food service, with a wet bar, an outdoor cooking range and a beautiful outdoor dining room. I love to add in a little herb garden — what I call a bartender's garden — near the barbecue for fresh seasonings.
|
by GreenRoof Asia
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| 4. Consider a complete landscape. For those who have the space, a rooftop lawn is the ultimate urban outdoor luxury. Not only does it look beautiful, but it can actually improve your building's efficiency. Richard Cooke of Green Roof Asia says he always puts a drainage layer and filter fleece on the roof before installing a rooftop lawn. "Adding a lawn to your rooftop can act as a second waterproofing layer," he says. "A lawn reacts like a sponge, catching rain, and the absorption can actually help serve as an additional protective membrane between your roof and the interior below." |
|
by S.I.D.Ltd.
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| 5. Add easy greenery with potted plants. If a full landscape isn't right for your outdoor space, keep your plant life manageable by adding potted plants to your rooftop, terrace or balcony. If every home in Hong Kong played their part and placed one plant outside or in a window, there would be 7.8 million additional plants to help keep our air clean. If you're squeezed for space, consider vertical gardening. Trellises can help foliage grow into fantastic formations, and some modern metal trellises look great even when they're not covered in plants. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
6. Make use of small, efficient water elements. A spa is a great place for decompressing and letting off some steam after a long day. In our hot summer months, a hot tub can also double as a cool plunge pool.
I also love to add a soothing, built-in fountain to a plunge pool. Smaller fountains and water features can help muffle out the sounds of the city and drown out the stresses of the day.
I also love to add a soothing, built-in fountain to a plunge pool. Smaller fountains and water features can help muffle out the sounds of the city and drown out the stresses of the day.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
7. Look for easy outdoor lighting solutions. Lighting is often the most overlooked part of an exterior design. Outdoor lighting options can help highlight and feature beautiful foliage, and set just the right mood. If you're looking for something easy and ecofriendly, look for solar-powered solutions, since they don't require extensive electrical installations. For renters, string lights or a collection of paper lanterns to create ambience.
by S.I.D.Ltd.
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
8. Create privacy without compromising style. In Hong Kong your nearest neighbor can be at arm's length. To enjoy a rooftop fully, you want to create privacy while still having an open feel. I love using live elements, such as planted bamboo or a trellis of vines, to cover up walls or create private spaces. Passionfruit, honeysuckle and firecracker vines are just a couple of my favorite climbers that do exceptionally well in Hong Kong.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| 9. Keep an eye out for outdoor entertainment opportunities. Rooftops in Hong Kong often have shared walls with neighboring buildings. One way to make great use of an exterior wall is to turn it into an outdoor projector screen — it's great for barbecues, game days or romantic movie nights. |
Ideabook published on Feb. 21, 2013.
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Find Local Pros by Category:
Architects & Designers · Interior Designers & Decorators · General Contractors · Home Media Design & Installation · Landscape Architects & Designers · Kitchen & Bath Designers · Design-build Firms · Closet & Home Storage Designers · Carpet and Flooring · Fireplaces · Tile, Stone & Countertops · Specialty Contractors · Landscape Contractors
Find Local Pros by Metro Area:
Atlanta · Austin · Baltimore · Boston · Chicago · Dallas · Dc Metro · Denver · Detroit · Hawaii · Houston · Las Vegas · Los Angeles · Miami · Minneapolis · Nashville · New Orleans · New York · Philadelphia · Phoenix · Portland · Salt Lake City · San Diego · San Francisco · Seattle · St Louis
Reclaiming as an outdoor spacsome of the footprint that your house has occupied often represents a great way to create a private garden area.
This is a pic of our roof garden in Switzerland.
As a word of advice, check the load bearing capabilities of your roof space at the start of planning.
We ended up using 10cm slices of raw walnut wood to makes a nice ground covering that wouldn't be too heavy.