School roofs are usually covered with empty beer cans and battered footballs but a Hackney primary school hopes to use their roof to grow strawberries and butternut squash instead. Brook Community school may see its energy bill dramatically slashed by local inventor Charlie Paton’s rooftop greenhouse plan.
Mr Paton, 62, created ‘Rooftop Greenhouse’ with his son Adam while attempting to adhere to strict planning guidelines to build a sustainable self-heating three-storey house. The greenhouse captures daytime heat which warms the building, collects and cleans water and has solar panels and a composter.
This cycle significantly cuts heating costs and Mr Paton hopes to gain funding from the government’s Greenius initiative to introduce the concept to local schools. Mr Paton said of the scheme: “Every school would benefit from a rooftop greenhouse. It helps to make schools more self-sufficient. It saves water, keeps heating costs down, and can be used as a teaching aid for children to learn how food is grown.”
The proposal has been enthusiastically received by Brook Community staff. A school spokeswoman said: “We are looking forward to teaching children the benefits of growing and eating your own food that doesn’t have to go through the process of packaging.”
Mr Paton lamented the disuse of hundreds of empty London rooftops and commented that the greenhouse could have the potential to heat the whole school. “The greenhouse could insulate the entire building, habitat unique and threatened wildlife and help save the school money on basic food products.”
