Living Roofs

An inspiring selection of rooftop gardens and rooftop terraces from around the world with plant listings

Rooftop gardens and rooftop terraces let you reach for the stars and the only limit on what you can design in your exclusive oasis is your imagination. Rooftop gardens also inject a lovely note of green into the cityscape and improve the microclimate. People grow their own vegetables or use grass and shrubs to frame an opulent lounge area or pool. This book showcases private rooftop gardens and terraces from around the world. You’ll see everything from spectacular high-rise penthouses and clever retrofit solutions to award-winning sustainable homes. They all convey the unique feeling of living between heaven and earth. Peace and relaxation are the focus in these slices of paradise, places where you can quite literally sit back and watch the world go by.

Ashley Penn is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute in the United Kingdom where he worked for many years as a landscape architect. He has written extensively for the Landscape Architects Network, a website that offers high quality online content to people who want to learn more about landscape architecture and the environment, as a volunteer since 2012 and is currently the Content Director.

He studied horticulture before specializing in landscape design as an undergraduate. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Turner Prize for Innovation in Design. While studying his Post Graduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture, Ashley developed interests in landscape history and green technologies, including green roofs and green walls. He has written many articles about green roofs for Landscape Architects Network. He currently resides in Nokia, Finland, where he works as a freelance landscape designer.

Experience these open-air sanctuaries in a variety of different styles — from sumptuous cascades of flowers to minimalist design
A beautiful reference book for anyone with a balcony or garden