Environmentally responsible insulating construction blocks and structures constructed primarily of recycled materials are disclosed. The environmentally friendly construction blocks and structures comprise shredded rubber tire pieces coated with silica fume, slag cement and cement, which are then mixed with water and formed in a mold. A layer of grout or a fireproof material may be disposed on one side of the environmentally responsible insulating construction block. The environmentally responsible insulating construction blocks provide high insulation as well as strength for applications such as green roofing, wall construction and green roofing decks. Environmentally friendly structures can be built by pouring the coated shredded rubber tire pieces into molds to form walls, and then to pour a layer of the coated shredded rubber tire pieces as a roof deck, thereby creating a self-supporting structure in a monolithic pour.

A protected membrane roof system for installation on a roof decking comprising an upper insulation board having an upwardly-facing upper board top surface and an opposite downwardly-facing upper board bottom surface and at least one through-hole communicating therebetween, a ballast material positioned over the upper insulation board, and at least one fastener assembly having a base seated substantially adjacent the upper board bottom surface, a rod extending substantially vertically from the base of sufficient size so as to extend through the through-hole of the upper insulation board and the ballast material, and a cap engaged with the rod above the ballast material, whereby the wind uplift resistance of the protected membrane roof system is improved and scour of the ballast material is reduced by effectively anchoring the ballast material to the upper insulation board beneath the ballast material.

A plant-cultivation method and system that aids automation of farms/lawns, home-farms, roof-farms and similar conveyor-based farms. The plants are held on the conveyor preferably the whole of their life. The conveyor is operated such that the plants repeatedly visit the same processing resource(s) throughout their life. Repetitive plant processes are automated and centralized including watering, nutrient-feed, pruning, inspecting, treatment, harvesting, etc. Eliminates duplicate resources. Multiple types of plants can be grown simultaneously. Applicable to lawns and eliminates noisy gasoline mowers. Converts building-roofs and walls into fully automated lawns/farms. Home & building owners farm on their building and enjoy the organic harvest and optionally sell to neighbors. Saves on the building energy costs, farming resource capacity and the fossil fuel usage. Helps farming in non-fertile lands. Increases green-house resources efficiency. Adaptable with hydroponic, aquaponic or aeroponic farming methods.

The present invention relates to a method of draining water comprising the steps of: providing a water drainage device, wherein the water drainage device comprises man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF) bonded with a cured aqueous binder composition free of phenol and formaldehyde; positioning the water drainage device in contact with the ground, wherein the water drainage device absorbs water and releases water to a recipient

wherein the aqueous binder composition prior to curing comprises; a component (i) in form of one or more lignosulfonate lignins having a carboxylic acid group content of 0.03 to 1.4 mmol/g, based on the dry weight of the lignosulfonate lignins, a component (ii) in form of one or more cross-linkers.

The invention relates to a fa?ade system for a building, in particular an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS), comprising a thermal and/or acoustic insulation, consisting of at least one insulation element being a bonded mineral fibre product made of mineral fibres, preferably stone wool fibres, and a cured aqueous binder composition free of phenol and formaldehyde, wherein the insulation element is fixed to an outer surface of the building by mechanical fastening elements and/or an adhesive, covered with a rendering, and whereby the aqueous binder composition prior to curing comprises a component (i) in form of one or more lignosulfonate lignins having a carboxylic acid group content of 0.03 to 2.0 mmol/g, based on the dry weight of the lignosulfonate lignins and a component (ii) in form of one or more cross-linkers, and wherein the insulation element has a bulk density between 70 kg/m.sup.3 and 150 kg/m.sup.3.

A planting structure includes a water filtering bag, a plurality of hanging ears mounted on an outer face of the water filtering bag, and a plurality of planting sources placed in the water filtering bag. The water filtering bag is made of permeable material with a permeation effect. The water filtering bag has an interior provided with a receiving space. The planting sources are received in the receiving space of the water filtering bag. Thus, the planting structure is directly hung on a cup by the hanging ears, so that the user plants and takes out the planting sources at any time according to the practical requirement.

The present invention provides an inverted roofing system and method that is more thermally efficient, inexpensive and quicker to install, better able to withstand environmental conditions, and produces the appearance and some functional benefits of a traditional natural green roof ballast top-layer. It does not require a sloped roof gradient, and is capable of a user controlled mass per square foot roof load. The inverted roofing system and method provides a ballast top-layer that is lightweight, and maintains properties that will prevent wind uplift.

A roof-greening cassette, at least partially or predominantly having walls and/or bases made of (porous) material having pores, the porous material having the following properties: (a) a water absorption of 15 to 30 liters/m.sup.2 in the case of a material thickness of 30 mm, and (b) a water permeability normal to the plane of 8 to 16 liters/(m.sup.2 s), in the case of a water column of 200 mm and a material thickness of 30 mm.

Environmentally responsible insulating construction blocks and structures constructed primarily of recycled materials are disclosed. The environmentally friendly construction blocks and structures comprise shredded rubber tire pieces coated with silica fume, slag cement and cement, which are then mixed with water and formed in a mold. A layer of grout or a fireproof material may be disposed on one side of the environmentally responsible insulating construction block. The environmentally responsible insulating construction blocks provide high insulation as well as strength for applications such as green roofing, wall construction and green roofing decks. Environmentally friendly structures can be built by pouring the coated shredded rubber tire pieces into molds to form walls, and then to pour a layer of the coated shredded rubber tire pieces as a roof deck, thereby creating a self-supporting structure in a monolithic pour.

A method of installing a green roof planter assembly includes providing first and second planter modules each including a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls that cooperate with the bottom wall to form an interior space adapted to receive plant matter therein, wherein at least a pair of the plurality of side walls cooperate to form a corner therebetween, the corner defining a length therealong, and each planter module including a first relief located along the length of the first corner, positioning the corners of the planter modules proximate one another, providing a coupling member, and inserting the coupling member into the reliefs of the planter modules, thereby inhibiting vertical movement of the planter modules with respect to one another.