Spanish landscape artist Marc Gra????(R)????????(R)???(C)n brought his concept of a mobile green roof, for what he now terms a "Phyto Kinetic garden in motion," to Alex Puig, owner of the Vivers Ter Nursery. In exchange for the use of Puig's nursery facilities and equipment for testing and prototyping, Gra????(R)????????(R)???(C)n committed to using Puig's plants and labor for future projects.

The idea for a mobile green roof, a bus with a functioning green roof, is that of Spanish landscape artist Marc Gra????(R)????????(R)???(C)n. Gra????(R)????????(R)???(C)n's ingenious mobile green roof system was first presented at the Oct. 2012 IBERFLORA International Fair of Plants and Flowers, Technology and Gardening, winning an award for Best Sustainable Initiative.

Gra????(R)????????(R)???(C)n has used a range of consultants: a nursery owner; a mechanical engineer; agronomic engineers at the Technical University of Madrid (regarding Co2 capture rates); a naturalist and former director of an environmental education foundation; an ecologist from the University of Seville; and members of Pronatur, a Spanish nonprofit that supports green roofs and urban agriculture.

The bus installation, which allows the green roof bus to be driven with no regulatory hindrances, goes something like this:

A perforated inox (stainless steel) grid with a closed perimeter was attached to the bus roof to distribute and evacuate water.

Micro-perforated stainless steel bands are fixed to the interior of the perimeter to anchor the plants and prevent them from moving when the bus hits the brakes.

A polyuria waterproofing is sprayed permanently seal the metal structure of the roof.

A hydroponic foam, designed to lighten the weight of roof gardens, is the substrate for the plantings of sedums, aromatic herbs, ornamental plants, ivies and grasses. The foam retains humidity, but not water. The plants are watered by condensation drawn from the bus' air conditioning conduits, which are layered between the ceiling and the plant bed.

An ultra-light protective mesh prevents anything from moving or falling off the roof. The entire planted surface "acts as a single element welded to the structure of the bus." If the bus turned upside down, the roof garden would not move, asserts Gra????(R)????????(R)???(C)n. You can view the installation steps at www.phytokinetic.net/installation

Note: This year's IBERFLORA the 42nd edition, ran from Oct. 2-4 www.eugardens.eu/articles/11-iberflora-2013.html. The international horticulture and gardening event is divided into a Garden Show and a Technology Show.