Since 1995 the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been honored with more than 75 major environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle awards for environmental stewardship, and the 2009 Climate Change Champion of the Year Award for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Consistently looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact, last July the USPS opened its first greenroof facility atop the seven-story Morgan Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in midtown Manhattan, one of the largest mail processing facilities in the country at 2.2 million sf.  Part of a larger facility modernization scope, construction of the project began in September 2008 and was completed less than a year later in July, 2009, and on budget.  At the opening ceremony, Sam Pulcrano, Vice President of Sustainability said:

“Not only does it provide employees with a beautiful, serene outdoor environment, the green roof will help us meet our goal to reduce energy usage 30 percent by 2015.”

Currently the largest in New York City, the 2.5 acre living roof also serves as a park of sorts for employees who have access to the eco-friendly recreational space.  For example, planters and benches of the dense tropical hardwood Brazilian ipe wood, certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council, provide areas for relaxation and require no sealants or staining – which in turn reduces VOC’s from entering the atmosphere and the stormwater system.  High Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) value concrete utility pavers and roof ballast aggregate were used, and the light poles and bollards meet cutoff standards for light pollution.  In addition to providing a spectacular panoramic view of midtown Manhattan and the northern New Jersey shore, the Morgan P&DC greenroof is expected to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff by as much as 75% in summer and 40% in winter, and is projected to save the Postal Service $30,000 yearly on heating and cooling costs.

Built in 1933, the Morgan P&DC was designated a historical landmark in 1986.  When the previous 109,000 sf roof needed replacing, engineers deemed the structural loading capacity strong enough to support the additional weight of the growing medium and vegetation needed for a greenroof, so the USPS decided upon a pilot project.  J.P. Patti Company, a TectaAmerica company, was contracted to re-roof the Morgan Building.  During construction only about 15,000 sf needed to be removed and replaced, and nearly 90% of the original roof was recycled and reused on the roof.  The new roof system consists of a Sika Sarnafil® 80 mil membrane and gypsum roof board over several layers of extruded polystyrene insulation.  Materials were loose laid over the existing roofing and selected roof areas were covered.  J.P. Patti blew the engineered soil up to a height of 95 feet and across the 300 foot-wide roof area.  The original 176 copper column caps, now green due to natural oxidation, continue to define Morgan as a historic building among the grasses and sedums.  The new roof is expected to last at least 50 years.

The firm in charge of the design of the new safe and sustainable rooftop with the beautifil swaying native Calamagrostis, trees, and other vegetation is Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architects (EKLA), a multidisciplinary firm, who was brought in as the greenroof designer in 2007.  In July of last year, Damian Holmes of World Landscape Architect interviewed Elizabeth J. Kennedy, Principal of EKLA, about the Morgan Processing facility.  EKLA and junior landscape architect Sigal Ben-Shmuel, who served as project technical coordinator for the greenroof, were responsible for the rooftop layout, media and plant selections, and planting plan.  The EKLA team also worked closely with the engineering firm, URS Corporation, to adhere to strict budget limits.  Elizabeth stressed their goal in keeping the ”concept to a simple, elegant solution that could be completed on time and within budget without sacrificing the essentials of good design.”

Additional U.S. Postal Service greener facilities strategies include using hybrid electric vehicles and other alternative fuel technologies.  With nearly 220,000 vehicles traveling more than 1.2 billion miles a year in their fleet (the largest civilian fleet in the world), they plan to meet their goal of reducing fuel usage by 20% over the next five years.  The Postal Service also has expanded its recycling program in New York City to include mixed paper and cardboard, resulting in nearly 400 tons of materials recycled each month.  And last November they unveiled their revamped usps.com/green website, which provides a myriad assortment of useful info to help consumers make environmentally responsible decisions about their mail.  Did you know that the Postal Service is the only mailing and shipping company in America to be Cradle to Cradle™ certified for the environmental and health standards of its packaging?  They state that their packaging supplies are so green, the half billion pieces provided to customers last year prevented more than 15,000 tons of carbon emissions!

Here are some USPS environmental achievements in 2009:

• Saving $3 million and nearly 100 million kilowatts in an agency-wide energy challenge
• Avoiding $1.05 million in costs via green information technology initiatives
• Helping customers divert 24,000 tons of paper from landfills by recycling in 6,000 Post Office lobbies
• Increasing alternative fuel use 61 percent since 2005
• Using electric, propane and natural gas delivery vehicles and retiring 10,000 non-energy efficient vehicles

Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx and now principal of Majora Carter Group, was on hand at the July 22, 2009, dedication ceremony and commented how this roof was not just a roof. “This is going to be the type of education center that teaches people from around the country,” she said.  And Tom Samra, Vice President of Facilities, reiterated:

“The Postal Service is taking the lead when it comes to making a positive impact on the environment. We’re proud to dedicate our first green roof, and we are pleased to showcase this environmental oasis today in New York City.”

Submitted for LEED certification, the U.S. Postal Service Morgan Processing and Distribution Center serves as a shining example of federal agency environmental leadership and commitment to green initiatives in New York and the rest of the U.S.  Read more about the U.S. Postal Service’s sustainability efforts in the January 27, 2010 “Statement by Vice President of Sustainability Samuel M. Pulcrano to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs” here.

Happy Greening!  ~ Linda V.

Last week’s Greenwall Project of the Week (GPW) was the beautiful YVR Canada Line Station 4 Living Wall, located at the Vancouver International (YVR) Airport’s SkyTrain station.  The first Canadian airport to install a greenwall, international visitors to this beautiful city are greeted by the living tapestry, just one of the sustainable initiatives and ecological solutions for the airport.  Since YVR is situated within the estuary of the Fraser River on Sea Island, a large conservation project was created here to offset the environmental impact the airport causes, including a wildlife preserve and public beaches.

Inaugurated early in August 2009, months in advance of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Winter Paralympics, the $1.9 billion (CAD) Canada Line is a rail-based rapid transit line linking central Richmond, Canada, the Vancouver International Airport and downtown Vancouver, B.C.  The Canada Line terminus at YVR-Airport Station is linked by a bridge to an award-winning $125-million (CAD), five-story steel and glass structure known as the Link.  Connecting to both the international and domestic terminals, the Link’s signature oval structure provides a unique visual connection to the land, sea and sky that surround the airport. 

Designed to eliminate visual interference, the YVR Canada Line Station 4 station sits 60 feet high straddling a road.  Both the YVR Station and the Link were designed by Kasian Architecture with Read Jones Christoffersen as structural engineers, and Sharp Diamond Landscape Architecture was brought in to design the massive green wall and other features.

One of the largest living walls in North America (the largest at the time in 2009), it measures 17.0m high and 11.6m wide (about 55.8 feet x 38 feet), and houses a total of 27,391 individual plants!  Landscape architect Randy Sharp used a modular system by G-Sky, a B.C. based company, for this living wall that encompasses 2,107 stainless steel panels.  His design concept stresses the connection of the vegetated wall to the rapid transit station to the ground.

Randy was also involved with the Landscape Master Plan for the Vancouver International Airport and its unique ecological environment.  He says his overall vision for the Grant McConachie Way corridor, which leads into YVR, was to serve as a natural gateway linking Vancouver to B.C., Canada, and the world beyond.  Drawing upon the estuary thematics of Sea Island, he desired the landscape experience to feature a four-season effect in a bold design that would grow and evolve over time.  Highlights include major tree and shrub planting to enhance view corridors, other landscape designs for various Canada Line Stations, the ongoing development of a multi-use trail system for Sea Island, and a gateway feature signage program.

“Green facades and living walls provide an exciting fresh canvas for landscape architects and designers to be creative.   These vertical landscapes provide as yet unexplored opportunities for biodiversity, greywater treatment, urban agriculture and energy performance, not to mention the creation of green collar jobs.” ~ Randy Sharp

But the stunning greenwall isn’t the only green element here – two greenroofs, one extensive and the second intensive – are also featured.  First Nations art inside and outside the terminal grace the property, too, and enhance the sense of place.

Randy has designed and installed another of metro Vancouver’s most significant living walls, the Aquaquest, the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre, Vancouver Aquarium - the first modular living wall in North America, as well as many greenroofs, too.  In fact, he and his company have received multiple awards in design excellence for both greenroofs and walls.

There’s been a lot of public commentary (and pride) about the green design of YVR Canada Line Station 4’s living wall, particularly in the blogosphere.  While not everyone appreciates the environmental benefits of greenwalls, everyone loves the aesthetics.  Responding to a blog post last summer in Price Tags, John Wilson retorted:

“This specific green wall sends a message to everyone visiting Vancouver (and Canada). That message is that we’re a progressive cosmopolitan city that cares about the world and the environment, and we’re open to using new methods and technologies because we’re also big on innovation. We’re a player in the world. Interesting things are happening here.”

Vancouver, B.C., is indeed a progressive, green city that’s always included at the top of the world’s most livable cities.  The Vancouver Airport Authority also maintains a Public Observation Area here where people of all ages can see take-offs and landings and learn about the area’s unique ecology and history, too, with all sorts of hands-on activities.  See a video about it here.

Next time you’re at YVR, check out their new green wall at Canada Line Station 4.  According to locals, the best views are from the parkade bridge connecting the International Terminal at Departures level 3, or from Chester Johnson Park, International Terminal Arrivals level 2.

~ Linda V.

Where will you be at Earth Hour 2010?  When is that, you say?  Easy:  Always the last Saturday in March or this Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local, wherever.

What is that?  Earth Hour is a movement sponsored by the international conservation organization WWF to bring attention to energy waste and global warming.  Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon.  Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents. 

Aramis and I here at Greenroofs.com have been observing Earth Hour since 2008 when we had a lovely dinner and played cards by candlelight.  We also blacked out a portion of our Home Page to commemorate the event.  We’ve now gotten our grown kids and their friends to join in!

So why don’t you sign up, spread the word, and switch off your lights, too!  You’ll be in good company:  So far 30 U.S. States, Washington D.C. and 150 other municipalities are officially supporting Earth Hour.  In fact, 3,100 cities in 121 countries on all seven continents are confirmed to turn off their lights on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time.

Is Earth Hour the answer to our rampant energy consumption and dependency on oil?  No, of course not.  The website states:

“On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations.”

At best it serves as a call to action and commitment to cleaner air, evolving into a more enlightened society, finding alternative ways to power our planet.  At least it can serve us to becoming more aware of our actions, one hour at a time.

Happy Earth Hour 2010! ~ Linda and Aramis V.

Before the second day of Ecoroof Portland’s Vendor Fair and program sessions, Tom Liptan co-led an ecoroof tour starting at 8:30 a.m.  Along with Jason King of TERRA.fluxus, on March 13 the group was comfortably and efficiently transported by ecoShuttle around northeast Portland to see a variety of roofs, below.

The five sites visited on Saturday morning were the Metro Regional Headquarters Ecoroof and Yakuza Restaurant (above), K-4 Condominiums (left), and the O’Brien and Omey residences (below).

I’m sorry to say we just couldn’t make ourselves get up early enough to join in!  But our trusty friends Casey Cunningham at the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and Jason shared these photos with us (I hope to add/update these profiles soon to The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database) – by the way, Jason King is a very talented landscape architect here and has been involved with many ecoroof projects, including the Multnomah County Multnomah Building, top photo above.

After the 10:30 Intro to Portland Ecoroof session, Commissioner Dan Saltzman welcomed everyone and spoke about the City’s vision for a sustainable future and some of their ongoing projects.  Then I was introduced as the keynote speaker, sharing my presentation “Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design.”  A compilation of my favorites from the past three years of Haven Kiers, our Design Editor, and my Top 10 List of Hot Design Trends in Greenroof Design, I also added some outstanding projects that will make our Top 10 for 2010 (under construction), including this one below, the $90 million Oregon Sustainability Center, designed by Portland firms SERA Architects and GBD Architects:

Saturday’s first afternoon session was all about case studies – small and large, public and private.  Kevin Falkerson, AIA, and Kerrie Lee Cole, GRP, of SYMBIOS shared their experience of design-based solutions with the Salmon Creek School living roof, from concept through construction and follow-up.  The LEED Platinum Sonoma County, California environmental center has many eco-friendly features, offering the students of this K-8 grade school numerous opportunities for place-based learning – about the ecology of the natural site and the greenroof itself.

The semi-intensive roof sports a diverse palette of non-native and native sedums and succulents, accented with beautiful detail plantings including boulders and rocks.  See a photo gallery here.

Next up was the energetic Walt Quade, a general contractor with Cully Construction Co. (and Green Home Oregon), who built his own energy-conscious, partially underground home with a custom-designed 1,490 sf greenroof in north Portland.  He also started from research to conception through several design options, before deciding on the one that would best suit his family’s needs and desires.  Walt not only described the construction process step-by-step, he also provided insights on lessons learned.  His message was clear:  ecoroofs do not need to be a high cost item if you are knowledgeable about products, and they are not that difficult to execute – but you do need to know your limitations and hire professionals when necessary.  See his photo gallery here.

Karl Schultz from the Port of Portland followed with the new sustainable headquarters facility for the Port of Portland at PDX, Portland International Airport.  Situated in front of the terminal which is connected to the parking garage, the 10-floor LEED Gold-designed facility has extensive daylighting, high performance glazing, radiant heating and cooling ceiling, reflective membrane, and a Living Machine – an organic wastewater treatment system that treats wastewater onsite to be used in the building for non-potable uses.

The structure also features an intensive built in place greenroof on the 8th floor and the larger 10,000 sf LiveRoof modular greenroof on top of the 9th floor on the north side installed for rainwater treatment  – both incorporate “adaptive plant Micromist irrigation.”

The final session was the very interesting, informal, and lively ”The Ecoroof Doctors are IN” panel with Tom Liptan, Ed Snodgrass, Patrick Carey, Dave Elkin, and Alice Meyers from the BES Ecoroof Incentive Program.  They offered advice and fielded many questions from architects, homeowners, and designers about a ton of subjects – from which are the best plants to benefits of modular vs. built in place systems to construction details.

Earlier this year, March was declared “Ecoroof Portland” month by Mayor Adams, and the learning and fun didn’t stop with Ecoroof Portland 2010 - here are a few more opportunities to learn what they’re all about from sponsors the Portland Audubon Society, Urban Greenspaces Institute, and the City of Portland (check for space availability):

South Waterfront Ecoroof Tour, March 27th
Green Roofs and Living Walls for Wildlife, March 30th – with one of our perennial favorites, Brit Dusty Gedge of Livingroofs.org 
Downtown Ecoroof Tour, March 31st

We left Portland with a greater understanding of how City employees, from the Mayor to City Commissioners to everyone at BES, view their work.  I felt that the employee buy-in for eco-friendly stormwater management options for a cleaner and greener Portland is just amazing!  It was evident from everyone we met how much they loved their jobs and how strongly they felt that ecoroofs were a real solution.  They really impressed me with their friendliness, professionalism, and dedication – thanks for inviting me!

Oregon is a land of widely different people, places, and ecosystems, and the beautiful City of Roses is always a pleasure to visit.  The City of Portland serves as a shining example to the rest of the U.S. on how municipal government can really work effectively for and with their people to promote healthy, sustainable development.  Ecoroof Portland is a win-win event for everyone here – the citizens, the City employees, and as a result from all the support and financial incentives, the local environment as well.  Stay in touch by visiting the City’s BES website.

~ Linda V.

If you dare to read this essay by George Monbiot, be forewarned that you will be updated on current biodiversity issues via samurai-sharp intellect. Stunning on all counts.

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/03/15/the-naming-of-things/

~ Christine

Since the 1990s, Portland, Oregon, has worked hard to earn its reputation as a sustainable building pioneer.  Very socially conscious, it’s also a very young city in terms of energy and spirit.  As the host of Ecoroof Portland 2010, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) does a great service to its citizens with this free yearly event with information and technical assistance about ecoroofs – other sponsors included ReDirect Guide, EcoMetro, KXL radio, KINK radio, Portland Business Journal, Left Bank Annex, and ecoShuttle.

A large number of BES staff was on hand to assist, but Matt ran the show.  Matt Burlin is the Outreach Coordinator, Sustainable Stormwater Management, City of Portland Environmental Services, and did an excellent job of organizing and coordinating everything!  Held at the Left Bank Annex close to the Rose Quarter, Ecoroof Portland was easily accessible by public transportation, and in fact, the city encouraged folks to do just that.  The industrial urban space venue was chock full of environmentally friendly features including great daylighting, recycling bins everywhere, and water conservation features in the restrooms.

The program provided options for all levels of sophistication – beginner, professional, researcher, and those who were ready to put an ecoroof on their own house or commercial structure.  Friday started out at a very civil 10:30, with ”An Introduction to Ecoroofs in Portland” given by Matt and Amy Chomowicz (also offered on Saturday morning).  Attendees heard about general ecoroof information – how they work, why they’re important, and what resources are available in Portland to help you get started on your own project to gain skills and experience in the industry.

 
The Vendor Fair was open at 10:00, and I was surprised to see how full both the intro session and exhibitor area was for a Friday morning.  We skipped the intro and perused the trade show on the main floor, mingling with old friends and meeting new ones.

These regional expos are so important for a variety of reasons, and it also gives us an opportunity to meet with local reps of some of our advertisers, too, and learn about business in their neck of the woods – we connected with “new” folks from Tremco, Tournesol Siteworks, American Hydrotech, Xero Flor America, GreenGrid, ILD, and Etera Green Roof Plants (Northwest Horticulture), below.

I was pleased that there was such a high number of professional firms exhibiting among the manufacturers and suppliers, for example landscape architects Lando & Associates Landscape Architecture(who have worked on many ecoroofs here including The Metro Headquarters Greenroof) and Walker Macy (who worked on the Platinum LEED OHSU CHH building, among others).  Architects, consultants, contractors, structural engineers, and researchers also had booths.

In addition to product and service vendors, non-profit organizations and community organizations were also here including the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities booth, which was manned by Patrick Carey, a trainer for all of the courses needed to get your GRP designation – the 101, 201, 301 and 401.

And it was great to see Ecoroofs Everywhere and meet Greg Haines, above left, after all these years (who used to work at BES, seen with Matt, right).  Greg has been installing ecoroofs in Portland since 2002 when he co-founded Ecoroofs Everywhere as a non-profit organization (since 2007 it has been a for-profit partnership).  Of course, the City of Portland had booths to answer questions about their Ecoroof Grant Program (they gave out beautiful posters) and WorkingGreenPortland.com, a website and tool to educate and motivate people about site specific stormwater management options, and city grants and incentives for each.

At noon, Environmental Services Director Dean Marriott welcomed everyone, gave us a quick update on the Ecoroof Grant program and introduced the keynote speaker, Ed Snodgrass.  Ed, in his usual laid back and affable way, presented “Ecosystem Services: How Ecoroofs Contribute to Sustainable Cities” sharing his thoughts on how greenroofs add benefits to our highly sealed urban areas by mimicking natural processes within the bigger picture.  He showed multiple examples of how the natural technologies of plants and soil protect the environment, economy, and equity in cities through connecting living roofs, rain gardens, porous paving/vegetated parking lots and other systems, while providing stormwater management, energy reduction, cooling properties, treatment of graywater and sewage, wildlife habitat and more – for example the corporate campus of Mercedes-Benz, below, a model of sustainability.

Next came current research and monitoring efforts specific to the area. Portland State University (PSU) graduate student Debbie Beck gave a presentation on “Greenroof Soil and Water Quality – Changes in Runoff Water Quality When Biochar is Mixed into a Greenroof Soil.”  Growing media needs to be designed to ensure low concentrations of nutrients in stormwater runoff; biochar is a soil amendment made from the pyrolysis of waste products, ranging from biomass to tires in a carbon-net-negative process.  It was evaluated for its ability to retain nutrients in greenroof soils, and Debbie also presented findings on its cleansing properties.

Tim Kurtz, PE, from the City of Portland BES talked about ”Stormwater Monitoring of Three Ecoroofs in Portland, Oregon” explaining that although ecoroofs have become a primary option for reducing roof runoff into sewers and streams, at present they’re all treated the same, regardless of growing media depth or composition.  Data was presented from the Hamilton Apartments, the Multnomah County Multnomah Building, and the Portland Building, above, to determine which greenroof design and maintenance variables are most important to maximize stormwater retention.

 And featured speaker Dr. David Sailor from PSU presented “Energy Performance of Ecoroofs – the Role of the Roof in Affecting Building Energy and the Urban Atmospheric Environment” – enlightening us how energy analysis of ecoroof performance requires sophisticated techniques and that complex energy balances on vegetative roofs vary from time of day and season to season.  Dr. Sailor concluded with his initial results of studies involving both greenroofs and photovoltaics, with a focus on potential system interactions and synergies.  His findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the two technologies working together – the plants fare better with some shading from the harsh sun and the panels perform better from a cooler rooftop.

“Portland’s Shift to a Sustainable Future: The Role of Ecoroofs” took over the late Friday afternoon session with an interactive panel featuring Dan Vizzini of City of Portland Environmental Services, Tom Puttman of David Evans and Associates, and Tom Liptan, ASLA, Ecoroof Technical Program Manager with BES.  Fourteen years after ecoroof guru Liptan installed his own atop his garage, the City continues to boost implementation of green infrastructure practices, including a target of 43 acres of ecoroofs by 2013. The panelists discussed their evolution from “grey to green” and how these changes will influence the fabric of their city.

At 6:00 pm the Vendor Fair was closed to the public, and the City provided a lovely reception for the exhibitors and speakers.  This casual gathering and networking opportunity was a great time just to relax a bit.  Matt and Linda Dobson (she manages BES’s Stormwater Team) welcomed Portland Mayor Sam Adams and it was easy to understand the city’s success with their ecoroof initiatives – you could feel the Mayor’s pride, commitment and passion for their projects and staff.  He extended an open invitation to all to embrace sustainable business practices and sustainable design, and let us know that the City was looking into funding low interest loans.  He also informed us that he was talking up the challenge to green his own garage roof, à la Tom Liptan!

Tom Liptan then introduced me in such a nice way, reminiscing about my student days at UGA and how I called him back in 1998 wanting to know all about his garage greenroof and what could we do to promote these earth-friendly roof covers.  I presented a short demo of The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database – how it began with my 1999 research study when I initially had about 30 case studies, to how it’s grown to 1,023 at the moment; why I felt the industry needed an open, free resource for compiling and maintaining a clearing house of sorts.

Ed was up next and Tom also shared his funny recollections of meeting him several years ago.  Ed showed some very unique and interesting” Greenroofs from Around the World” with a fast-paced show of his highlight reel.

Afterwards we were off to the richly decorated Alu Wine Bar for a glass of a spectacular local pinot noir (2007 Arterberry Maresh from Dundee Hills, OR) with a bevy of BES people.  From there Aramis, Ed and I met Patrick and Brian Heather, GRP, from SolTerra for dinner at the very funky and famous Cajun Montage – quite a noisy and fun local favorite!  Patrick and Brian have been collaborating on various projects in Portland and Seattle, and we topped the evening off with a visit to the mixed-use SolTerra offices to see some of their innovative handiwork.  SolTerra provides a variety of services and products for the solar, ecoroof, and living wall markets, and what we saw looked very impressive!

Tomorrow I’ll wrap up our visit and experiences at Ecoroof Portland 2010 ~ Linda V.

I’m a little late for profiling last week’s Greenroof Project of the Week (GPW), the stunning Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Center for Health & Healing (CHH) - because we were in Portland last week for Ecoroof Portland, which I’ll be blogging about next.  I’ve been a fan of this project for a few years – in 2008 Haven Kiers and I included it in the #1 category for our Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof Design, “The Influence of LEED on Design Professionals = Pushing the Green Envelope,” and as a judge for the 2009 Green Roofs for Healthy Cities’ Green Roof Design Awards of Excellence, I had the pleasure of reviewing it in detail (unfortunately, it was beat out by the awesome Gary Comer Youth Center).

The Oregon Health & Science University is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for all Oregonians through excellence, innovation and leadership in health care, education and research.  One of the largest employers in a city and a state known worldwide for leadership and dedication to conservation and the environment, OHSU’s CHH building represents the state-of-the-art in integrative design, involving the hard work and input of many multi-disciplinary professionals.

Located in Portland’s South Waterfront neighborhood, the award-winning 16-story, 400,000 sf OHSU Center for Health & Healing is one of the first buildings to rise from this former shipyard site and the first building in their new River Campus.  The Center for Health & Healing is the most resource efficient large scale building in the region, and one of the greenest in the U.S.  A mixed-use facility for wellness, medical research, clinics, surgery, classrooms and ground floor retail, in 2007 it received Platinum LEED certification, making it the first medical and research facility in the world to have achieved this distinction.  The integrated design features this building boasts is amazing (see the profile), and as a result is 61% more energy efficient than required by Oregon code.
 

“This is a remarkable achievement given the complex array of uses and systems that were needed in the building.  We had to capture every opportunity to integrate together function, architecture and engineering.  This is really the result of a great collaborative team effort.  We have set a new standard for OHSU and for other projects in Portland.” ~ David Crawford, chief financial officer of the OHSU Medical Group (press release).

The Center is linked to Marquam Hill by the Portland Aerial Tram, which has proved to be a major success. According to OHSU, this highly efficient passenger conveyance between their facilities is estimated to eliminate 2 million vehicle miles and 93,000 gallons of gasoline annually, and reduce yearly greenhouse emissions by more than 1,000 tons.

OHSU CHH has both extensive greenroofs (or ecoroofs) and intensive greenroofs (roof gardens), with a mixture of public and private accessibility. 

Non-accessible ecoroofs include those found on the 17th floor, and staff-only extensive gardens and office accessible balconies located off the 15th and 16th floors, above.

The accessible areas include the day patient area on the 4th floor (above) which opens out onto the restorative garden and the 5th floor (below) which opens out onto the courtyard, a common area and intensive green roof.

“Both programmed for passive recreation, these rooftop gardens allow patients, visitors, staff and faculty to enjoy scenic views of the region, informal social interactions as well as organized gatherings and events.  The roof gardens incorporate paths through lush plantings and benches for seating, offering fresh air and a green oasis as a seasonal topic for the soul amidst the stressful world.” ~ Walker Macy.

We had wanted to visit the building, but were unable to due simply to time restraints.  But we did speak with Laura Herbon, Associate at Walker Macy, the landscape architecture firm who designed the greenroofs (they were exhibiting at Ecoroof Portland).  Walker Macy has broad experience providing dynamic garden design for roof gardens, ecoroofs and courtyards over structures, and their work covers a broad range of sizes and purposes and includes places meant for people to gather and grow gardens as well as sites designed strictly for stormwater management.  The OHSU CHH certainly does both! 

Walker Macy has worked on many ecoroofs in the area, including The Louisa, Mercy Corps Headquarters, Bellevue Towers, and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital - among about 18 others involving greenroofs of some sort.  Macy Walker shared the following info about OHSU’s CHH:

“The green roofs are reducing the peak run-off volumes to the storm sewer, designed to store a minimal amount of water to keep the soil saturated, since the region’s climatic pattern—extremely wet winter and extremely dry summer—generate the volume of stored water that cannot equal the demand and supplemental irrigation that is needed. The stormwater network connects all rooftop gardens and the fertilizers used contain no phosphorous. The OHSU building incorporates both rainwater and groundwater collection systems on the roof and underground, which get mixed with the building’s own gray water and sent to the basement treatment system. Reclaimed water is stored in cisterns before being pumped upstairs or sent outside to irrigate the building’s grounds and rooftop gardens. Excess reclaimed water is piped into the nearby Willamette River.

“OHSU had to obtain a number of special permits to install its state-of-the-art water system, which includes a membrane bioreactor in the basement that basically is a small scale sewage plant. The result is that the building uses 60% less water than most buildings its size, and its outflow to the city sewage pipes is virtually nonexistent. Through the installation of a bioreactor on site, the building cleans 15,000 gallons of wastewater a day. Constructing the water system was expensive, despite a $50,000 grant from the Portland Office of Sustainable Development and more than $500,000 in system development charges the city waived because the building does not outflow into city sewage. OHSU estimates the system will not pay back its initial costs for at least 10 years. Meanwhile, the building’s $12,000 annual water bill is considerably less than the $80,000 to $100,000 bill OHSU estimates it would have paid without the water reclamation system. The CHH generates 2.1 million gallons annually in potable water savings.

“After deducting tax credits and other financial incentives, the green premium for this building was a mere 1.13% of the total project cost. The facility’s return on investment will be just over one year, after which the energy savings are projected to be $600,000 annually.”

Wow! The Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health & Healing embraces all that a green building should be: energy and resource efficient and good for the soul, all while providing beautiful and peaceful aesthetics.  For additional information on this LEED Platinum building and how the greenroofs tie into the whole system, review this thorough case study document produced by OHSU design team member Interface Engineering (you can also see the LEED Scorecard) or contact Walker Macy.

~ Linda V.

We’ve begun the Greenroofs.com website redesign starting with the Homepage. Our new design is about improving page navigation and making it easier for our visitors to find the content they want.  More white space has been created and we changed the font type and size for better reading.  We also kept in mind that search engines like to have a sense of what role a page plays in the bigger picture of our site, and we think that this has been accomplished.

HERE’S WHAT’S NEW:

Project of the Week
The Project of the Week section has been moved to the top of the left side in order to attract the first look of our visitors.  Well-documented eyetool analysis has revealed “hotspots” where visitors looked the most on a webpage – and people look most at the left top side. This visual image of the featured greenroof project should instigate additional interest and thus a click-through that brings the latest project profile to the forefront in a separate window.  As you probably know, the project profile contains various photos and detailed content describing many important and relevant aspects of the case study.  The data associated with these profiles is administered on our MySQL Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database via PHP scripts.  Our database currently has 1,022 project profiles with many more being added every day. By the way, the content of this database is currently indexed by Google and Google News – which means when visitors search online, the results page will contain links to the data from our database.

The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database has been open to the world since 2004, evolving from the “International and North American Case Studies” portion of Linda Velazquez’ initial 1999 independent research study.   Read more about how Linda selects the Project of the Week.

The Greenroof Directory
Visitors looking for companies to work with on their projects now have a quick search capability from the homepage, direct to the Greenroof Directory.

The Greenroof Directory is also a MySQL database which contains essential information (contact, products, services, photos, etc.) about Manufacturers, Suppliers, Professional Services, and Organizations in the greenroof industry.

All this information is searchable from the main Directory page and now, for the first time, from our homepage with our new quick search feature.  The most popular main categories are highlighted in this new search box, and you can also access more categories from here, too.

In a guest feature article submitted by Adam Henige, a Web consultant, he states “An analysis of search engine data for 2009 clearly demonstrates a rising trend in the general public’s awareness of and interest in green roofs. Looking at these estimates for a cross section of the most popular general roofing terms and green roofing terms performed on search engines, there was growth in both areas, but by November the monthly search volume had grown only 51 percent for general roofing terms while green roofing terms had grown 155 percent.”

No one knows the secret formula that search engines use in order to optimize a particular site and improve rankings, but fortunately for us, we have enjoyed the number one spot in all the top search engines for the most significant keywords in our industry for over 10 years.  In addition to creating lots of organic content on a consistent basis, we also have a high number of sites that consider us a great resource and thus add links back to us, which also improves search results positioning and site PageRank.  So, if you want your company to be found online, make sure you get listed with us (shameless plug!).

Video player
An embedded video player showing the latest videos from our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube has been moved to the top right side for better viewing.  YouTube is the most popular video hosting and sharing service and is owned by Google.  Their service lets users view and upload video files, and in addition to hosting videos, the service lets users rate videos, add comments, and subscribe to their favorite producers.

Public videos uploaded by YouTube online users are selected by us based on their relevance to the greenroof and greenwall industry, and then added to the respective playlist that feed the various video players throughout our entire website.  We encourage all of you to upload your videos to showcase and increase your exposure by sharing experiences, projects, interviews, tours, product demonstrations – with our marketplace and the rest of the world.

Industry News, ResearchLinks & Industry Support
The extremely long Industry News content that used to be displayed in the center column has been consolidated to a short list of the latest news with links to a new separate page fully dedicated to all the industry news associated with the greenroof and greenwall community.

The ResearchLinks section on the Navigation Bar has now been replaced simply with Industry, which now houses Industry News, Industry Support and ResearchLinks.  Industry Support used to be under Greenroofs 101, which was the basis for Linda’s 1999 paper and Greenroofs.com.

Guest Features
You’ll find them now in a highlighted box displaying the latest two features with links to the full articles. If you are an expert on a particular greenroof or greenwall design topic, you may submit your content to our Editor and it will be reviewed for publishing on our site – just email your information to: submissions@greenroofs.com.

NewsLinks
The long list of NewsLinks has also been reduced to a shorter one of the latest few, with links for more news on our page dedicated to all our NewsLinks.  We have also added a section that will highlight a particular event during the month – like the 2010 Olympics, Earth Hour, etc.  Make sure you visit often for all your industry news!

Contributing Editor Columns
Similar to Guest Features, another highlighted section now houses the latest from our contributing editors, prominently displayed within the body of the homepage with links to the respective columns.

Other changes
· The Google Search Box that allows for searching our entire website is now more visible.

·  The banners on the top and bottom of the page rotate randomly with a fade transition instead of the old slide in a sequential order.  This will allow for all of our advertisers’ banner ads to have equal exposure to our visitors.

·  Social Media icons are now top and center for easy clicks.  Make sure you stay connected with us by following us on Twitter, becoming a fan of our Facebook wall, joining our Greenroofs.com Network group in LinkedIn, subscribing to the greenroofsTV channel on YouTube and our monthly eNewsletter.

·  Finally, the bottom of the page is now filled with small logos from all our sponsors linkable to their respective color brochures in The Greenroof Directory filled with lots of pertinent information about their products and services.

·  The Sky Gardens blog box, Upcoming Events, JobLinks, and our Advertiser Press Releases and are still pretty much in their respective spots, just cleaned up a bit.

We’re still in our tweaking stages, and have a lot more work to do to the rest of our site, but we welcome your feedback for what we have done so far.  Keep us informed of all your greenroof and greenwall happenings, and stay on top of the greenroof world with Greenroofs.com!  We look forward to hearing back from you.

As a final reminder, those of you wishing to present in London, UK, this September 15-16, 2010 at the World Green Roof Congress, you need to submit your abstracts by this Friday, March 12!  Abstracts are invited for submission on a range of topics.

The World Green Roof Congress is hosted and delivered by CIRIA and Livingroofs.org.  We were there in 2008 and had a grand time in a wonderful setting with many knowledgeable speakers!  The Congress attracted over 300 delegates from around 15 countries and numerous exhibitors.  Hopefully you will attend this year, too, and further your greenroofing experience!

Call for Papers

“The World Green Roof Congress in 2010 will showcase green roofs and green walls, and how we can progress their delivery and achieve their mainstream inclusion in buildings. The Congress will also focus on what can be done to fully exploit the multiple benefits of green roofs and adapt to a changing climate.

The Congress committee are looking for papers, presentations and case studies that demonstrate the delivery of green roofs and green walls providing a diverse range of benefits, and the evidence base to demonstrate that they not only look aesthetically pleasing but bring significant socio and economic benefits.

The Congress is keen to have papers and presentations that cover these themes: 1. International green roof case studies; 2. British green roof case studies; 3. Policy and regulations for green roofs; 4. Up on the roof – urban agriculture, amenity and place making; 5. Planting and growing media for green roofs; 6. Biodiversity benefits; 7. Water management benefits; 8. Green roofs and climate change adaptation; 9. Retrofitting green roofs; and 10. Delivery of green roofs.”

The Call for Papers closes on March 12, 2010 - learn all about the submission guidelines, requirements, and process here:  World Green Roof Congress.  For additional information or any queries, please contact Dusty Gedge at: dusty@dustygedge.co.uk or Charles Perkin at: charles.perkin@ciria.org – tel +44 (0)207 5493300.

~ Linda V.

Despite the global economic slowdown, India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, and the projected market potential for green building material and technologies is estimated to be $40 billion by the year 2012.  India has pressing water needs – the Himalayan icepack is shrinking and is the main water source for more than a billion people in this part of the world.  Groundwater resources are greatly diminishing by several centimeters per year and are not being replaced, so sustainable design is extremely important!

Although vegetated roofs are relatively new in the building, construction, and landscaping industry here, many believe they have immense potential for growth in India.  One glowing example is the CII – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CIIGBC), a division of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).  Located in Hyderabad, the CII is India’s premier developmental institution, offering advisory services to the industry on environmental aspects and working in the areas of Green Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Water Management, Environment Management, Renewable Energy, Green Business Incubation and Climate Change activities.  The LEED Platinum for New Construction (NC) v 2.0 certified CII – Godrej GBC building is also home to India’s first and largest built greenroof (2003), at about 11,000 sf.  Layed out in a circular fan-like fashion, solar panels add to the uniqueness of the design, easily read from above as seen in this Google shot below.

Vegetated roofs cover 55-60% of the building’s roofs - the remaining portion of the roof is covered by a solar photo voltaic installation with a 24 KW capacity.  The 100 to 120 units of power generated per day is fed into the grid meeting 20% of the total energy cost of the building.  CII maintains a “Score Card” of green statistics within India.  These are their current figures, as of March 6, 2010:

 68 certified green buildings
 352 million sq ft Green building footprint
 500 registered green building projects
 1050 energy audits carried out
 Rs.2000 Million annual recurring energy saving realized
 32 Water Audits conducted
 8.0 Million Cu.m annual water saving
 11 Green SMEs funded
 Rs.95 Crores green investment facilitated
 418 industrial units subscribe to the CII – Code

World traveller and our Student Editor, Christine Thüring visited the CIIGBC last year and wrote about her experiences in the March 2009 Guest Feature ”Green Buildings in India.”  In 2000, the Indian Green Building Council(IGBC) – part of CII-Godrej Green Business Centre – and created its own LEED® Green Building Standard by fine-tuning the ratings to reflect Indian conditions and priorities (e.g. more points for water conservation).  Point in fact: rain harvesting is mandated by Indian law.

The CIIGBC achieved 56 LEED points, and a key aspect of the CIIGBC is its zero discharge of water, aided by the greenroofs, among other features.  All wastewater and runoff generated by the building is recycled by “root zone treatment” where specially selected plants purify and filter the water that irrigates them (top photo above ).  Water leaving the “root zone treatment” is directed to one of three ponds, thereafter to be used for domestic purposes.  The building achieves a 35% reduction of municipally supplied potable water, in part through the use of low-flush toilets and waterless urinals (bottom photo above).

Although roof gardens in various forms have been around for decades, I couldn’t find many examples of built or proposed greenroofs (if you know of others, please let us know!).  One important one is presently under construction - the new International and Domestic Terminal at the Chennai International Airport has many environmentally friendly features. The New York team led by Frederic Schwartz Architects and Gensler with Hargreaves Associates and India-based Creative Group was unanimously selected by the Indian Government to design the Kamraj Domestic Terminal Building.  Its dramatic sweeping roof lines collect rainwater and fold downward into two lush, one-acre gardens. The garden walls capture water during the wet season into a series cisterns and runnels where it is stored for reuse as irrigation during the dry season. Directly connected to the terminal is a new parking garage with a sculptural folding greenroof that welcomes travelers with a “green gateway” to the terminal.  India’s greenest airport is slated for completion sometime in late 2010.

Several conferences this year will address sustainable design and the potential for living roofs in India.  ROOF INDIA 2010, now in its ninth year, is Asia’s largest roofing and allied technologies event.  This year, greenroofing will be included as a segment and in fact, it’s endorsed by the  NRCA and IGRA, among others. Visitors receive free entry with registration and Visitor Badge.  Companies providing technologies, products, services, consultancy & solutions for roof landscaping will be exhibiting at the event.   ROOF INDIA 2010 will be held April 23 – 25, 2010 at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India.

During the 2010 Shanghai World Expo the company Earth Our Only Home, Inc. is organizing an International Green Roof Summit on May 8, 2010 in Shanghai at the World Green Roofs Conference to address solutions to provide drinking water for India, Western China and neighboring countries.  For more info on this, make sure you read the February 2010 Guest Feature “International Summit in Shanghai: The Green Roof Solution to the Impending Drinking Water Crisis in India, Western China and Neighboring Countries” by Dr. Karen L. Weber. 

Karen writes “By coordinating expertise from North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia on green roofs, water, buildings and climate, we intend to bridge the East and West.  Our aim is to have all participants sign a letter of commitment to establish green roofs as a priority along with a timeline for implementing green roof technology on a wide scale as India and Western China plan their new cities and regional development. ”

The Confederation of Indian Industry and the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) – part of CII-Godrej Green Business Centre - will be presenting their eighth annual Green Building Congress 2010, India’s flagship event on green buildings.  Objectives include creating awareness of green building concepts, the latest global trends, new products and technologies, providing a platform for networking, facilitating new business opportunities and enabling market transformation of green products and equipment.  The Green Building Congress 2010 will be held on October 6 – 9, 2010 at the Chennai Trade Centre.

The CII – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre is located at Survey # 64, Kothaguda Post, R R District, Hyderabad – 500084, India; Tel: +91 40 2311 2971 – 73; Fax: +91 40 2311 2837.

~ Linda V.