Nan’s report:
Host Nan Sterman and landscape architect Andy Spurlock explore the green roof Spurlock designed for Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California
Unexpected things happen when we shoot in the field.
When we shot the green roof segment at Palomar Medical Center, we were all over the rooftop, which is not open to the public. It is accessed from the cafeteria dining terrace. From atop the green roof, you look down onto the terrace – and the people on the terrace look up towards the edge of the green roof.
We spent the entire morning shooting on the roof. It is truly an amazing place. Rather than being flat, the rooftop rolls to emulate the rolling hills that surround the valley where the medical center sits.
It was easy to forget that I was three stories up. The plants are all natives to emulate the hillsides, and they looked fabulous. Red, gold, and white monkeyflower were in bloom, as were the purple three awn grasses that swayed in the breeze. Ferny yarrow with its white or rose topped flower clusters crept along the surface. Fragrant sages perfumed the air.
Native plants in bloom on the green roof of Palomar Medical Center
We broke for lunch shortly after noon. Then, the crew – Michael, Glenn and Marianne – went up to the balcony on the sixth floor to shoot the rooftop from overhead. I headed back to the rooftop to do a standup, looking up towards the camera, three stories above
I was alone at this point and started my way out onto the roof where we had been all day up to that point. On the terrace below, a group of people were enjoying lunch at a large table. I noticed them looking at me as I made my way across the green roof. The look on their faces showed alarm. “Are you supposed to be up there?” someone asked.
“Yes, its fine,” I said, “We are shooting the green roof for a television show.” I had my cell phone in my hand and I was looking up at the crew, as we discussed where I should stand. “See,” I said, “I’m talking to my crew. They are up there,” and I pointed to the spot, three floors above me.
Palomar Medical Center Green roof rolls to emulate the surrounding hills
The group looked dubious but I just continued on and forgot about them. Later, when Michael was satisfied with the shot he got, I headed up to sixth floor. We chatted for a while, then walked to the elevators to ride back down. As the elevator door opened, one of the people from the lunch group on the terrace stepped off. “See, I said, “I wasn’t kidding. Here’s my crew.”
The man looked visibly relieved. “We are from the social work department,” he said, “we deal with people who are suicidal so we were concerned…”
I figured they were concerned that I was in a place that is off-limits. It never occurred to me that they thought I was about to jump. Yikes!
