Steve is a Green Roof Installation Supervisor in Milton Keynes. He oversees a team working to create sustainable living roofs - vegetated layers that sit on top of waterproofed roof surfaces of a building. We asked Steve to tell us about his job and how he got into the industry.
I’m Steve – I work for Bridgman & Bridgman LLP as a Green Roof Installation Supervisor and I have worked with the organisation for 12 years.
Day to day, I plan the logistics of a project - we often visit sites before we do a job to work out how we are going to get the materials to the roof safely. I supervise the installation of the roof, making sure the job looks good. A big part of my role is maintaining a good relationship with the customer – talking them through the work and keeping disruption and delays to a minimum. I also oversee my staff, making sure they know what tasks they have to do and that they complete these safely.
The best part of my job teamwork and job satisfaction, knowing I’m leaving a job well done. Some jobs are more challenging than others. When we work on a project involving more intricate shapes, pitches, or planting, it feels good when we complete and achieve it. I also enjoy going back to past jobs for maintenance and seeing the roof doing well. Unfortunately, when green roofs are done poorly, it has a knock-on effect on the whole industry - it’s important to me that we install good quality systems that will thrive. I’m particularly proud of working on the Ikea Greenwich green roof - 3,500m2 with 4 types of roof: segregated biodiverse, sedum, a wildflower meadow and raised urban farming beds.
I’ve completed a lot of training relating to my role including several Lantra courses related to the installation and maintenance of green roofs. I’ve also completed courses that allow me to work at height safely, such as using a harness or telehandler, and hold the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test and ROLO Health & Safety Card. Having a Skilled Worker CSCS card has given me the ability to work onsite which is essential for many new build projects that we work on.
We work quite a lot in London throughout the year, with existing roof maintenance taking place in spring and autumn. The tech side of this job happens before we get onsite, such as product and garden design and structural engineering. My job is mainly practical - we use technology tools such as Google Earth and sat navs, as well as plant equipment. I need to make sure we have enough growing medium (substrate) for the sedum to grow in. It’s also important to me to keep a tidy site and deal with waste safely.
The weather can be challenging to deal with in this job – high winds can slow down a project. Other challenges include logistics - as we are working with a living product, we need to make sure it is in place as soon as possible. As a team we need to be flexible when deliveries are delayed and adapt to make sure the living product is taken care of.
Green roofs have many benefits for the planet - reducing the heat island effect, increasing biodiversity, and helping with carbon capture. It would be great if more people were trained across the country so that we could do more jobs locally. I would like to move to a less physical role as I get older. I like showing new people how to build green roofs and have lots of experience to share, so delivering practical training might be good for me in the future. It’s great being outside - the practical work keeps you fit, with lots of problem-solving and teamwork - we all look out for each other and get the job done.
