Formerly the Gimbel’s Department store, the Heinz 57 Center in Pittsburgh, PA, is a wonderful example of urban renewal.  Closed and neglected for about 14 years starting in the late eighties, the now restored building has been put to reuse not only in a sustainable, but beautiful way.  In 1998 architects Burt Hill Kozar Rittlemann Associates (now Burt Hill) were brought on board to redesign the historical but ailing structure.

Along with McKnight Development Partners, the architects incorporated a dramatic 50′ diameter octagonal atrium which runs from the roof down through seven floors.  Suddenly flooded with natural light, the Heinz Corporation was enticed to occupy the top seven floors for their North American headquarters.  Yet curiously, environmental concerns were not driving factors for the greenroof then; aesthetics, however, definitely were.

Although the building itself was surrounded by a spectacular city panorama featuring a soaring cathedral amidst an eclectic mixture of towering skyscrapers, the views from the lovely floor-to-ceiling windows of the fourteenth-floor penthouse suite were less than exciting or acceptable: a hot black rubber roof under an equally unappealing nine-foot-high brick parapet wall greeted Heinz occupants.  So the architects decided a pleasing landscape atop the roof would do the trick.

Completed in the fall of 2001, the Heinz 57 Center was the first vegetated roof in downtown Pittsburgh, where executives enjoy sweeping meadow vistas wrapping their offices and blanketing the thirty-foot-wide terrace.  Four informal seating areas constructed with high-density recycled plastic lumber decking and concrete paving blocks provide informal gathering spots; by all accounts the colorful corporate roof garden is a hit!

Last year I was interviewed by Carmen J. Lee who was writing for h – The Magazine of the Heinz Endowments, reporting how “Pittsburgh roofs are the new fertile turf for environ-mentally sustainable construction projects that aim to dig in and blossom” in her article “Top Soil” (pages 24-31).  The Heinz 57 building was, of course, one of the sites featured and you’ll see I was quoted with more of an inspirational bent rather than specific to the project.  Carmen also profiled the local environmental group, 3 Rivers Wet Weather, which is responsible for utilizing $525,000 in federal funding plus a $125,000 Heinz Endowments grant to sponsor a 2005 project to create more greenroofs here.

In a city with an over-burdened sewer system with frequent overflows, Pittsburgh officials and researchers cite the greenroof project often as a fine example of sustainable redevelopment.  Situated within a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use business district with shops, restaurants and businesses, the Heinz 57 Center is worker friendly as well as eco-friendly, providing their 800+ employees with a variety of alternate forms of transportation.  Although Heinz executives may not have initially specified the extensive greenroof for ecological reasons, they certainly appreciate the many noticeable environmental benefits, such as the cooling respite from the city canyon and the reduction of stormwater runoff; it’s estimated that the roof retains 55% of yearly rainfall.

Charlie Miller, P.E., and his company Roofscapes, Inc. have been responsible for a large number of award-winning greenroof projects, including this one.  His private and public portfolio runs the gamut from municipal to corporate, institutional to retail, and even includes some single-family residences.  Charlie won the 2005 Green Roof Award of Excellence with the Heinz 57 Center/Gimbels Building Restoration in the Extensive Industrial/Commercial category, and we featured it in the 2009 Greenroofs of the World Calendar™ by Greenroofs.com for the month of March: 

Over 18,000 plants were selected by Roofscapes, who used their Type III: Savannah Roofmeadow® system.  Landscape architect Steven L. Cantor researched this project in depth, and you can read his extensive case study including complete plant lists on pages 139-142 in the excellent book “Green Roofs in Sustainable Landscape Design,” 2008, available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Steven relates how the Heinz 57 Center plant selection encompassed “32 xeric species from nineteen plant genera, including six North American natives; approximately one-third of the plants are sedums, and the balance is a range of herbs, meadow grasses, and meadow perennials that provide differences in plant height, texture, and bloom color.”

It’s hard to believe, but the roof is not irrigated and has flourished with minimal maintenance, which includes twice yearly weeding and an annual light application of fertilizer.

Pittsburgh has really come along way from its gritty industrial Steel Town roots, emerging as a leader in green building.  According to the Green Building Alliance, as of July, 2009 the City of Pittsburgh is home to 39 LEED-certified buildings, ranked eighth in the United States for overall number of projects. 

About two dozen more eco-friendly greenroofs are found within metro Pittsburgh; read the May 19, 2009 article ”More city buildings cultivate savings by covering roofs with plants” by Sally Kalson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to learn about additional living roofs in the area.

We only have a handful of those references listed, so remember to send us case studies of these other projects so we may share it with all of you in the greenroof community in The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.

Kudos to the designers, corporate leaders and all the stakeholders of this inspiring city-core Heinz 57 Center renovation for their foresight - environmental, aesthetic, or otherwise - to successfully integrate a greenroof into the overall design for the benefit of the building’s occupants!

~ Linda V.

The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database has been up and open to the world since 2004, evolving from the “International and North American Case Studies” portion of my initial 1999 independent research study “Greenroof Technology: A Viable Roofing Alternative” that was the basis for Greenroofs.com.  The initial 30 or so profiles have grown to over a thousand, and we feel sharing these is an important learning experience for us all.

Our Project of the Week feature started in March, 2006 when we selected the profile of Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center (PEEC), above, submitted by Peter MacDonagh of The Kestrel Design Group.  The idea stemmed from the notion that a weekly highlight showcasing very different living roofs would stimulate interest in both the industry at large and our Projects Database – which it has!  Since then we’ve shown about 190 vegetated roofs and in 2008 we displayed our first Greenwall Project of the Week, Anthropologies, below, submitted by George Irwin of Green Living Technologies.

I often get asked, how do I pick each greenroof/wall case study out of and over so many other profiles?  The answer is actually very simple – at its core, I’m basically choosing completed profiles.  That means all the fields are completed, there is a lot of descriptive text, and all 11 of the photos/graphics are there.  The emotionally and physically attractive, sexy part about living architecture is the living part – the planting design - and people want to see photos!

After the aesthetics of the profile itself, I try and alternate U.S. and international projects, although it doesn’t always come out that way.  My goal is to show different types (extensive, intensive) and various applications, too (research, municipal, multi/single-family residential, commercial, educational) along with system types (conventional built-in place, modular, custom).

So if you’d like your company or organization’s project highlighted, check to see if we at least have an initial case study up, if not, send one in either by filling out the easy online form here, or by sending us an email to: projects@greenroofs.com.  If we do have your project listed, review it and send us any edits or additions along with updated graphics and/or photos (each profile can hold up to 11).

When possible, I’ll highlight a project that has something going on that week or month, for example I like to select profiles whose city is having a conference at the moment, or as in the case of this week’s project, a Green Building Tour this Sunday:

Our current Greenroof Project of the Week features the Sweetwater Creek State Park Visitors’ Center and Museum in Lithia Springs, GA.  Set within a 2,500-acre conservation area, this beautiful LEED™ Platinum certified building was the first to achieve this rating in the southeastern United States.  (Click on the project title to see who was involved in this very green building.)  And if you’re in the area, you can join a Green Building Tour of the Sweetwater Creek State Park Visitors’ Center and Museum this upcoming Sunday, February 14, 2010 from 2 PM to 3:30 PM and learn about sustainability, green buildings and what makes this one so special for just $5 plus $5 parking; for more info call: 770-732-5871.

The Greenroof/Greenwall Project of the Week feature on Greenroofs.com is a great way to have readers – researchers, students, media, and potential clients - see what’s been done, where, how, and by whom.  You’ll always find a new one on the Home Page every Sunday afternoon – just click on either the photo itself or the “Where in the Greenroof World?” hyperlink below to learn all about each unique greenroof or greenwall.

Happy Greening!
~ Linda V.

In all the hustle and bustle of editing feature articles, posting news stories, upcoming events, industry news and project profiles, amid other publisher duties, I sometimes forget to acknowledge the outside accomplishments (from Greenroofs.com) of our contributing editors…  This oversight will be addressed as one of my upcoming New Year’s resolutions, but for now let’s start with George Irwin, our Green Wall Editor:

George Irwin, C.E.O. of Green Living Technologies, discusses the design of an A-frame planter his company makes.

George was recently interviewed for the “Business of Green” article by Ken Belson titled “The Rooftop Garden Climbs Down a Wall” that appeared in the Energy & Environment section on nytimes.com of November 18 and the New York Times print version on November 19, 2009.  One of his Green Living Technologies‘ living wall products was featured when NYC architect Brad Zizmor had an edible wall installed on the backyard deck of his first-floor Manhattan apartment. 

The article really delves into the “Business of Green” – costs are included and Barthelmes Manufacturing Company, the sheet metal fabricator, was also highlighted as well as Kari Elwell Katzander, a landscape designer who designed the 3-panel green wall.  Although the author points out that these small greening solutions can be costly, he refers to another of George’s collaborations, the Urban Farming Food Chain green wall project in Los Angeles, and says:

“Mr. Irwin has shown that edible walls can work on a larger scale. At four locations in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, there are walls with more than 4,000 plants growing: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach, leeks, even baby watermelon. At one location, a homeless shelter, residents tend to a six-foot-high, 30-foot-long wall, eating some food they harvest and selling the rest.

The project, urban farming advocates say, is just the start of something larger.”

Make sure to also click on the slide show “Edible Walls of Green” – there are 12 awesome photos of the Zizmor wall, a living wall at the College of Applied Sciences and Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology, and cool manufacturing shots, with just a few below:

Oh yeah, while I’m am it, I should tell you that George Irwin won the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Award of Excellence in the Green Walls category this year.  Presented on June 5, 2009 at the 7th Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards, and Trade Show at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, he won for his involvement and contribution to the Urban Farming Food Chain green walls, truly a dedicated community affair of residents, manufacturers, students, professors, activists, and designers.  We were very proud of him, of course, and I should have blogged about this very prestigious accomplishment after the conference, but somehow didn’t.

You can read more about this award from the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities website, and see each of the initial four green wall sites of the Urban Farming Food Chain in The Greenroof Projects Database:  Skid Row Housing Trust’s ‘The Rainbow’; The Weingart Center Association; Miguel Contreras Learning Complex and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Green Wall.

I should also probably mention that because of his work with this project, George has also been on Good Morning America and invited to the White House, too.  I am a forgetful editor, indeed!  George writes about this exciting, worthy, and humbling experience in his upcoming Green Walls column, which should be up very soon.  Kudos, George!

~ Linda V.

After a long 16 months, the first episode of our WebTV series Sky Gardens ~ Greenroofs of the World will be up and ready to see on Sunday, November 8, 2009.  You can watch Episode 1: Rock Mill Park on the Greenroofs.TV Channel on Greenroofs.com and YouTube.   Download our Press Release here.

The Sky Gardens ~ Greenroofs of the World video series grew naturally out of my previous column “Sky Gardens ~Travels in Landscape Architecture” which ran from June, 2003 through April, 2006 here on Greenroofs.com.  With that column I was combining my various fields of expertise, and the description read:

“What do you get when you cross a landscape in the sky with an ecological designer, greenroof website publisher, and an international flight attendant?  Why, a column entitled “Sky Gardens ~ Travels in Landscape Architecture” of course!  Welcome to the ramblings of my unique bird’s eye perspective of the world, as I continue to visit new cities and noteworthy landscape architecture projects ~ both at ground and greenroof level.”

My hectic schedule proved too much for such an indepth column, and it evolved into this Sky Gardens ~ where cool green meets lofty blue Blog.  But I still wanted to pursue the thought of examining greenroof projects in-depth: the who, where, what, why and how’s of the entire planning and design process.  Our oldest son, Joey, is a screenwriter with film experience and so with the help of his film production company, Red Hand Productions, last year I decided to channel this vision into a more visual medium – video.

We selected one of my own designs here in Alpharetta for the first episode, and it’s been a true labor of love.  I’ve been involved with the Rock Mill Park project since 1999 when I interned as a student of landscape architecture with the City of Alpharetta.  I was thrilled when my design for “Celebrating Ecological Design in a Native Landscape” became a reality with construction of The Greenroof Pavilion and Trial Gardens of Rock Mill Park in 2007.  So many talented and generous people contributed to this endeavor, and being able to film and share this project built on such an environmentally sensitive and culturally important former Cherokee-owned site was an honor for me.  See 2008’s Love the Earth: Plant a Roof! and What I Did on My Summer Vacation… for a little more background info.

I think you’ll enjoy our first episode, where we interviewed many people involved in the project and filmed on site at Rock Mill Park; Alpharetta City Hall at Mayor Arthur Lechtas’ office; the City of Alpharetta Engineering/Public Works Department; the historic Log Cabin at the former site of Milton High School; Saul Nurseries “Swamp” location; and the former Cherokee capital, New Echota in Calhoun, GA, now a Historic Site.

We’ve had some trials and tribulations along the way, but that just makes it more special now that it’s done!  On November 8 you can see Episode 1: Rock Mill Park in four 10-minute installments on our home page and the Greenroofs.TV page on our website, where they will be added to the Greenroofs.com playlist on the greenroofstv channel on YouTube, found at http://www.youtube.com/greenroofstv.  All four videos will be lined up in order for easy viewing.

Look for our second Sky Gardens ~ Greenroofs of the World episode which highlights the gorgeous Cook+Fox Architects LLP corporate headquarters in Manhattan, NY, and details some of the greening initiatives that New York City is spearheading, coming soon to GreenroofsTV!

~ Linda V.

As you should know by now, I’ve been involved with the Atlanta Local Host Committee for the 7th Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference, Awards & Trade Show on June 3-5, 2009.  Janet Faust, LEED AP, Environmental Horticulturist and Greenroof Product Manager with JDR Enterprises, and I are the Co-chairs of the Tour Sub-Committee, and along with a bunch of others we’ve put together a mighty fine line up of a very diverse group of greenroof projects for the guided tours on June 2 and June 6 – many of these are private and not usually accessible and open to the general public, so take advantage!

It was really hard for us to determine which projects to include on the various tours – the Atlanta area has so many types of intensive and extensive, retail/commercial, industrial, municipal/corporate, educational, single family and multi-family residential, multi – use, you name it!  We tried to keep each varied within a common theme with examples of conventional built-in-place, modular, custom, and by different system providers, too.  By no means do our tours represent all of Metro Atlanta, but it will give the visitor an all-around flavor.  To see more of Georgia’s many living roofs, search The Greenroof Projects Database by Location: State: Georgia.

The tours are filling up fast, and if you’re considering joining us, you need to sign up quickly!  They are $35 each, and you can register here.  See the tri-fold Tour Brochure - the outer side here and the inner here, designed by Caroline Menetre – our Student Intern, environmental horticulturalist and graphic artist extraordinaire - who did a great job, by the way!  These are the details with some photos to get you inspired:

Tuesday, June 2, 2009:

TOUR # 1: Cooling It in Hotlanta
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour Coordinators: Greg Harper, GreenGrid and Ernie Higgins, ItSaulnatural
Tour Hosts: David Floyd and Greg Harper

Midtown Atlanta is vibrant and exciting with a dynamic mix of cosmopolitan retail, restaurants and entertainment.  Join us at the epicenter of the Atlanta cultural scene as we stroll through midtown touring contemporary multi-use corporate/office buildings, commercial/institutional complexes and multi-use retail/condominiums.  Midtown boasts the area’s most concentrated number of intensive/extensive greenroofs and even a stunning green wall at the luxurious W Hotel.  Many living roofs are within a mile radius; you will not be disappointed with the projects and a great opportunity for spectacular views of the city.  Guests will use the MARTA rapid trail system and should expect a good amount of walking, too!

 1. Viewpoint:  855 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta.  Twenty-six stories high, the Viewpoint offers luxury condo residences and over 50,000 sf of eclectic retail located in Atlanta’s trendy Midtown district.  From here you can see amazing views of the city and other greenroofs, including those on the equally stunning Spire Midtown (as well as their green walls) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Building greenroof, too.

2. 1010 Midtown:  1010 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta.  Neighboring Piedmont Park, the High Museum, and the Fox Theatre, 1010 Midtown is the first phase of 12th & Midtown, a massive 4-block master-planned development located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.  The property also features a lush “Park in the Sky” with a signature swimming pool, cabanas, and manicured gardens.

 3. The W Hotel: 188 14th Street, NE, Atlanta.  This Green Wall in W Hotel’s new Midtown Atlanta property is the showpiece of the exterior design.  Showcasing stylish LED lights interspersed throughout the wall, the architects successfully married the trademark chic W style with a beautiful green feature wall that greets guests at the hotel’s main entrance.

4. 1180 Peachtree: 1180 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta.  1180 Peachtree, also known as the Symphony Tower, is a Gold LEED-CS 41-story skyscraper (24 floors of office in main tower, three podium floors on top of the parking deck, 12 levels of parking incorporated into the structure and a 2-level, 40-foot high lobby).  The plaza level has an intensive over structure garden roof and where the garden tower steps back at the 18th level, a non-publicly accessible greenroof was installed as well.

5a. Woodruff Arts Center:  1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta.  The Woodruff Arts Center is the heartbeat of Atlanta’s arts community.  Located in midtown, the large over-structure Center offers Atlantans a bold variety of performing and visual arts – both traditional and avant-garde.  For 30 years, Woodruff Center has set the arts standard for Atlanta and the Southeast.

5b. Bunzl Administration Center of the High Museum of Art:  1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta.  This greenroof is the largest modular system installed to date in the metropolitan Atlanta area.  The 6,680 square foot greenroof sets an example of how vegetated green roofs would benefit the City of Atlanta by cleaning and reducing stormwater runoff, reducing the urban heat island effect, reducing energy consumption, extending roof life and improving air quality.

TOUR # 2: Goodbye City, Hello ‘Burbs
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour Coordinator: Linda Velazquez, Greenroofs.com/Sky Gardens Design
Tour Hosts: Jeannie Hunt, Linda Velazquez, Terry Porter, Alan Wieczynski
and Bobby Saul

Southern hospitality is also found in the suburbs of Atlanta.  Travel north of the city as we visit some of metropolitan Atlanta’s oldest and newest vegetated roofs.  Referred to locally as ‘the building with trees growing on the sides of it’ Northpark 400/500 is a flagship commercial/office park with strong geometric design, combining fully landscaped garden roofs, outdoor dining terraces and walkways and two 56-foot dome skylights.  Also on the northern corridor is Rock Mill Park, an award-winning municipal park with Cherokee heritage.  Rock Mill Park is a showcase for stormwater quality treatment and includes constructed wetlands, sand and bio-filtration ponds, vegetated swales and the Greenroof Pavilion/Greenroof Trial Gardens, all set within the 100-year floodplain.  We end the tour at Saul Nursery; for 22 years, Saul Nurseries has introduced many new plant cultivars and has supplied thousands of plants for greenroofs in the southeast.  You will see a variety of extensive greenroof plants including Sedums, Delospermas and other succulents alongside a diversity of flowering herbaceous perennials, and Saul’s own test greenroof and green wall.

1a. Northpark 400: 1100 Abernathy Rd NE Atlanta, GA.  Part of the award-winning Northpark Town Center, Northpark 400 is an 18-story, 581,000-square foot office tower connected to unique garden office suites, and atop the suites is a 2-acre park, complete with a restaurant and cascading waterfall.  Northpark Town Center anticipates receiving LEED certification in the second quarter of 2009.  Northpark is one of our oldest greenroofs, planted in 1994, and the mature trees and vegetation are flourishing, including maples, hollies, crepe myrtles, grasses and more.

1b. Northpark 500: 1100 Abernathy Rd NE Atlanta, GA.  Although Northpark 500 has been around since 1989, the garden roof was newly waterproofed and a new greenroof system was applied in 2007.  The $6 million rehabilitation project involved removing the building’s 56,000 square-foot green roof and replacing it with a high-performance waterproofing membrane combined with lightweight, low profile, green roof technology.  A fully landscaped roof garden with outdoor dining terraces and a walkway connection to the office tower is one of the many unique features at the 18-story 500 Northpark office tower.

2. Rock Mill Park Greenroof Pavilion & Trial Gardens: 3100 Kimball Bridge Road, Alpharetta GA.  The award-winning City of Alpharetta’s Rock Mill Park is open and inviting and connects to the popular Big Creek Greenway path system.  The original owner of the site back in the early 1800’s was “Sitawake,” a full-blood Cherokee, and design features include the cultural significance of the Cherokee ownership.  The Greenroof Pavilion uses many native and non-native plants, including succulents, grasses, and flowering herbaceous perennials.  Funded in part by an EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant and the recipient of greenroof material donations from many companies, the Pavilion and Trial Gardens offer respite and educational opportunties through hand-on models and interpretive signage.

3. Saul Nursery, ‘The Swamp’: 1115 W. Nancy Creek Drive, Atlanta GA.  Saul Nurseries in Atlanta and Alpharetta, Georgia, produces over 1200 varieties of plants and has supplied thousands for area greenroofs, both extensive and intensive, including the Atlanta City Hall.  The owners wanted to install a small test greenroof to trial appropriate plants for the hot, humid climate, and it has been featured many times on television.  We’ll stroll through the Nursery greenhouses and outdoor aisles, see and feel the numerous succulents they’re growing, and learn which herbaceous plants will work on greenroofs in the South.  Come meet Bobby Saul at the Swamp!

TOUR # 3: Green, Greener, Greenest
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour Coordinator: James Johnson, Emory University
Tour Hosts:  James Johnson and Michael Vaughn

Visit two forward-looking ‘campuses’ with tour emphasis on green achievement.  Emory University was the first building on a university campus to earn gold-level “LEED-EB” and is now home to 11 buildings (including several with greenroofs) that have been, or are being designed ‘LEED.’  In addition to LEED buildings, the university boasts many environmental initiatives, including an extensive alternative transportation program, the creation and continued development of a core walking campus, and a nationally recognized recycling program.  The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) founded in 1894, is an international organization.  Their newly renovated corporate headquarter campus has applied for LEED Gold Certification and truly reflects how ASHRAE standards and guidelines, put into practice, result in high-performance buildings.  The Foundation Learning Center also boasts an 1,800 square foot greenroof.

1. Emory University:  201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta GA.  Completed in October, 2008, The Emory University Department of Environmental Studies installed 420 square feet of greenroof on the Math and Science building with the intent to conduct pilot studies on the modular greenroof.  Three other test greenroofs on another demonstration roof will also be visited.  A mix of Sedums and Delospermas are planted to assess a variety of greenroof plants in the Atlanta climate.

2. ASHRAE Headquarters: 1791 Tullie Circle, N.E., Atlanta GA.  The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers advances technology to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.  Their newly renovated headquarters provides a healthy and productive environment for the staff and showcase ASHRAE technology while demonstrating the organization’s commitment to sustainability.  The Daikin Sustainability Garden is a vegetative roof garden above the new ASHRAE Foundation Learning Center.

Tour # 4: Lessons Learned Along the Way
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
 Tour Coordinators & Hosts: Bourke Reeve, Southface Energy Institute
and Bill Brigham, City of Altanta

Learn the ins and outs, and lessons learned along the way, of two very community centered greenroof projects.  Since 2003, the 3,000 square foot patio outside Atlanta City Hall’s fifth floor cafeteria has been home to the first city-owned greenroof in the Southeast.  The project was completed with the assistance of more than 10 companies and has been a model to downtown businesses.  Another ‘it takes a village’ greenroof project is located at the new LEED Platinum certified Southface Eco Office.  Southface has spent the last 25 years promoting “real-world” solutions for environmental living, and their new Eco Office showcases state-of-the-art energy, water and waste-reducing strategies and a 2,000 square foot greenroof.  Expect MARTA-hopping as well as moderate walking, here, too.

1. Atlanta City Hall Greenroof:  55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA.  The City of Atlanta is setting an example of sustainable and ecological design for its citizens with the investment of a 3,000 square foot greenroof on Atlanta City Hall.  By implementing this vegetated roof project, the City of Atlanta hopes to generate reliable technical data on greenroof performance in areas such as energy efficiency, stormwater retention, the extension of roof membrane life span, and plant survival.  In 2009 the City installed an additional 100 square feet of two types of test modules looking at plant material growth in 4″ and 8″ depths.

2. Southface Eco Office: 241 Pine St. N.E., Atlanta GA.  One of the targets established during the initial inter-disciplinary design charrette was a 60 percent reduction in energy use below that of conventional design and construction practices, with a goal of achieving all 10 LEED Energy Optimization credits.  The greenroof area on top of the third floor expands the office space to a rooftop patio with a spectacular view of downtown Atlanta.

Saturday, June 6, 2009:

Tour # 5: ‘Wow’ in the Woods
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Tour Coordinator: Janet Faust, JDR Enterprises
Tour Hosts: Steve Cannon and Janet Faust

‘Wow’ is the word you will hear exclaimed as you tour the largest sloped greenroof in the southeast.  The LEED Gold certified Gwinnett County Environmental & Heritage Center sits amid a 233-acre wooded natural park and has approximately 12 miles of paved greenway and mulched trails.  Part science and nature center, part energy institute, and part history center, it is a premier living and breathing model of educational opportunities.  The tour will highlight the uniqueness of the natural pine facility, the acre oxygen producing vegetative roof, and allow time to enjoy the hands-on science exhibits or trails.  The GEHC is a multi-sensory experience and ‘wow’ a great way to spend a leisurely Saturday morning.

1. Gwinnett County Environmental & Heritage Center:  2020 Clean Water Drive, Buford.  As a result of the award-winning Gold LEED Center’s sustainable design strategies, there is: no additional stormwater runoff; improved indoor air quality; 35% energy-use reduction; 50% water-use reduction; and demonstration of best management practices.  Some of the most important LEED features of the building include pervious paving, bio-swales, wetlands and the largest sloping greenroof in the Southeastern U.S.  The 40,000 square foot greenroof is planted with a variety of succulents.  A smaller roof on the premises is being tested exclusively with native plants, both succulent and herbaceous plant material.

TOUR # 6:  Downtown Atlanta by Foot  – Anytime
Tour Coordinator: Southface

This is a free, unguided sightseeing tour, but most of the venues require an entrance fee.  The Georgia World Congress Center/Georgia International Plaza, Centennial Olympic Park, CNN, Philips Arena, World of Coca-Cola and the The Far Coast Pavilion, the Georgia Aquarium, and the Fairlie Poplar Historic Dristrict are just some of the attractions you can visit with some good walking shoes.  Some either have greenroofs or are greenroofs, as many of these large venues are built over-structure!  See the Brochure for details.

All Green Roof Tours depart from the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel Lobby at 265 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta.  By the way, you do not have to be attending the Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference to participate in a tour.  Thanks to the many people on the Atlanta Local Host Committee for all their hard work, and especially to those on our Tours Sub-Committee!

I do hope you choose one of these tours and take advantage of some of these secret, and not-so-secret greenroofs in Atlanta – see you around town!

~ Linda V.

If you are awaiting more direction to help you apply for a tax abatement in New York City, new solar and/or green roof tax abatement documents (PDF) have just been made public.  Specifically they are:

1. Solar and Green Roof Tax Abatement Checklist
2. PTA1: Property Tax Abatement Application and Agreement for the Installation of a Green Roof
3. PTA2:  Property Tax Abatement Application and Agreement for the Installation of Solar Panels

Please utilize the Checklist as an outline as to the needs of the Department of Buildings.

Links for the legislation for NYC Green Roofs can be found at:
            http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/pdf/08pdf/green_roof_legislation.pdf

and for Solar Panels:
            http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/pdf/08pdf/solar_panel_legislation.pdf

Also, there’s a new New York City rule that implements Titles 4-B and 4-C of Article 4 of the Real Property Tax Law for property tax abatements.  These Green Roof and Solar Electric Generating System Tax Abatement Rules (PDF) were published in “The City Record” on March 12, 2009 which is its effective date.

These rules are available for viewing on the DOB website.

Once again, the application and any documents required are due by 4:00 PM, March 16, 2009:

Department of Buildings
280 Broadway
7th floor
New York, NY 10007
Attention: Bonnie Gerard

Bonnie Gerard, Strategic Planning & Implementation, Project Manager NYC 2010 Electrical Code & Special Projects, says to feel free to ask her any questions regarding the application or any of the documents required at:

212-442-1239 (t)
212-566-3865 (f)
bgerard@buildings.nyc.gov

Info via Kelly Luckett of Green Roof Blocks, also known here as The Green Roof Guy.  Thanks, Kelly!

~ Linda V.

I’m on the NYC Tax Abatement e-mail list, and this is what Carter H. Strickland, Jr., Senior Policy Advisor for Air and Water in the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, just sent out to advise everyone planning on applying for a tax abatement for either a greenroof or solar system:

Dear green roof stakeholder:

Given the tight time frame we are facing with processing the new green roof tax abatements for this year, the Department of Buildings is trying to streamline the process for processing those applications.  Any solar installers or buildings owners who have a project that they think qualifies for an abatement this year (therefore needing to start the process by March 16, 2009 per the law) should immediately contact Bonnie Gerard (212-442-1239 or bgerard@buildings.nyc.gov) as soon as possible.  DOB is finalizing the checklist and application forms for the abatement and we will distribute them to you as soon as we receive the finalized version (Bonnie will also be able to give them to you once they are finalized).

Please forward this email to anyone else you think could have green roof projects that are eligible for an abatement this year. Thank you.”

This follows the DOB hearing held yesterday, March 3, 2009, regarding implementing the draft regulations relating to the installation of green roofs for a tax abatement (which was open to public comment), approved by the state of New York in June of 2008. 

Since the statute requires that applications have to be filed by March 15 every year (a Sunday in 2009, so it extends to the following day, March 16), NYC is trying to get a sense of the number of applications that they can expect.   Obviously, New York City’s Department of Buildings needs to know immediately on prospective applications, so if you’re building a greenroof this year, take note!

~ Linda V.

Of related interest (found in Greenroofs 101 > Industry Support > U.S. ):

August 8, 2008:  GOVERNOR PATERSON SIGNS LAWS TO HELP SPUR INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLE ENERGY – The A.11226 Diaz R/S.7553 Lanza bill was signed by New York State Governor Paterson and deals with the tax abatement for renewable energy, providing a tax abatement for construction of green roofs in New York City.  Read the Press Release from New York State.

June 24, 2008:  Building owners in New York City who install green rooftops will now receive a significant tax credit under a bill (A.11226) sponsored by Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. that passed the state legislature on June 24, 2008.

Under this law, building owners in New York City who install green roofs on at least 50 percent of available rooftop space can apply for a one-year property tax credit of up to $100,000. The credit would be equal to $4.50 per square-foot of roof area that is planted with vegetation, or approximately 25 percent of the typical costs associated with the materials, labor, installation and design of the green roof. Read the Press Release from Sustainable South Bronx.

Hi, I’m George Irwin, a contributing editor here on Greenroofs.com – The Green Wall Editor. I write the occassional Green Walls Column, and as promised I will convert and dedicate most of my personal blog thoughts from a prior blog site to Sky Gardens…..One thing I do not care about when Im writing is the grammar or spelling mistakes I make when Im spilling my thoughts, so if you’re reading this blog and want to comment on my mistakes….too bad:)

I think free writing is important not to be interrupted by the conscious thought of making mistakes, it takes away the creativity of transferring the thoughts to writing. The same holds true with new research and products introduced to the market. Dont be afraid to make mistakes, take chances and like Nike “Just do it”. You will make mistakes…..So there is the inspiration for my first post.

The second part of the post is our Green Living Technologies Green Living Newsletter, not associated with Greenroofs.com but I thought you might be interested in my personal business, too. This month we have some very cool changes…yes change is good…for both our green roof and green wall systems. We are also charging the way into Central America, Honduras to be exact. Im hoping to bring you into my thoughts and also provide a combination of education, stimulated thinking and comments…..as always I make myself available for contact via email at the greenwalleditor@greenroofs.com.

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Green Living TM Technologies and THE GREEN LIVING NEWS
Current September Issue:

I want to welcome the new subscribers to our newsletter! Lots to talk about this month! Our dedication is to improving our products making sure they are both affordable and functional. This month we are proud to release our Roof Tray system that was designed to retain stormwater.

New Product Launch: Green LivingTM Roof Tray

Rochester NY…. Green Living TM Technologies announces the release of its advanced patent pending Green Living TM Roof Tray with water retention. The heavy gauge aluminum soon to be zinc Green Living TM Roof Tray was developed as a simplified way to install a basic green roof. The original Green Living TM Roof Modular System requires a higher level of installation skills and green roof know how. The Roof Tray has a price point similar to the cost of the original modular system but the installation labor cost is half. It’s easier to transport and can be pre-vegetated or filled and planted on the roof. “This is a great product for clients who have the ability to lift and place the trays on almost any flat or minimally sloped roof without hiring a green roof contractor.” The Green Living TM Roof Tray comes complete with a hydro-blanket that also acts as a filter. The system was designed for stormwater retention. The trays measure 20″ x 24″ (3.5 square feet) and come in standard 4″, 6″, 8″ and 12″ depths. The 4″ depth can retain up to 4.35 gallons of stormwater and still provide unlimited drainage through the large .25 drain holes within the sides of the tray. Just like the Green Living TM Roof Modular System once the tray reaches saturation the stormwater flows to the roof and into the designated drains. With embossed feet, to allow the tray to sit off the roof for air and water flow and built in handles for easy transport and carrying, two people can install a complete 1000 square foot roof in less than a day! Even fully saturated, we still maintain 15 +/- pounds per square foot.

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Change is Good! for the Green Living TM Wall

With all good companies product improvement and development is a high priority. After additional R&D we have made some key changes to the Green Living TM Wall. Before we announce the changes let us make note the corner panel is now part of the standard Green LivingTM Wall System. The first change is the safety hem on the outer edges of the wall panel structure. Second is the two part assembly that led to removing any torque. The result is a green wall panel that is easier and safer to handle. With our patented cell technology we still retain the unlimited drainage and root migration within the panels themselves and unlike plastic components the Green Living TM Wall will not warp or crack with the expansion and contraction of heat and cold. Also now available in standard increments of 6 inches and custom manufacturing, powder coating and laser engraving are always available.

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Green Living TM Wall Featured on Dream Home w/ Lisa Quinn on October 4th, 2008

Green LivingTM Technologies and the Green Living TM Wall was featured in one of the San Francisco area’s Dream Home episode. Join us as we work with Lisa Quinn, co-host Alexandrea Schardt and GLT’s George Irwin on how easy it is to dress up an otherwise drab wall by planting and installing a 2 – panel Green LivingTM Wall system with manual irrigation.

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Green Living TM Technologies in Honduras

Green Living TM Technologies Breaks ground with Angela Stassano of Techos Verdes and her partner Lazarus & Lazarus in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. October 13th we will be in Honduras with Angela to establish the installation of the Green LivingTM Systems. In addition the location will also serve as a continuing education and eventually a growing facility. Congratulations to Techos Verdes and Lazarus & Lazarus. I will have more pictures and in depth coverage for our next newsletter!

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Green Living TM Technologies reps and installer Michael and Angela Bucci, G-Space Philadelphia, showcase the Green Living Wall

Green Living TM Technologies’ Philadelphia-based and authorized representative / installer G-Space (Not to be confused with another “G” company) displays one of their latest Green LivingTM Wall projects on the exterior of the refurbished Vorhees Coliseum, home of the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul. Great job to Michael and Angela Bucci and the entire G-Space staff!

I can be reached via email also at George@agreenroof.com. If you like our Green Living TM Technologies and THE GREEN LIVING NEWS newsletter and want to receive it directly, register for email updates.

That’s it for now, look for my next Green Walls Column soon!

George Irwin, The Green Wall Editor on Greenroofs.com and President and CEO of Green Living Technologies, LLC (GLT).

Check out the September 29, 2008 issue of People Magazine, and turn to the next to the last page.  ”Up on the Roof” are Troy Wagner and his wife Julie – center stage on the mostly graphic two-page spread, talking about their 110-year old home in Tacoma, Washington.  Back at the beginning of the year Troy had shared his experience with us about building his two greenroofs using a rather unique method.  Based on traditional Scandinavian turf homes, one has a 12/12 pitch planted with sod, and he actually has a resident goat who provides a unique but sustainable form of maintenance from time to time!

The second greenroof is over his lesser pitched garage, which he actually mows.  On one side the couple tends to vegetables while the other is a flower garden.  Troy told me that after having owned a roofing company for 15 years and looking at 20,000 roofs he felt it was time to set an ecological example, so in 2004 they built their living roofs.  Check out the ”Troy’s Green Roof“ profile in The Greenroof Projects Database. People also has photos of the Roofscapes’ Life Expression Wellness Center, the California Academy of Sciences, and a private residence in Sunol, California.

Known for their spectacular coverage of celebrities as well as plain old regular folk, I was surprised when one of the People article’s authors, Maureen Harrington, called me back in July to pick my brain about “the phenomenon of greenroofs in the U.S.” - I guess greenroofs really are becoming mainstream!  She was looking for facts, and Ed Snodgrass of Green Roof Plants, who was interviewed, referred Maureen to me.

Everyone wants hard statistics (I also recently fielded some from Bloomberg News and Newsweek), and we get requests from tons of freelance writers all over the world – the UK, Chile, France, Poland…you name it.  The point is our industry is still accumulating these figures since research and projects, at least in North America, are relatively new.  I say relatively because although we can been studying and building modern-day living roofs here since the 1990’s, the Germans have figures from many types of testing and trials from the 1970’s.  The websites of both Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) and us here at Greenroofs.com have been up since 1999 and in terms of facts, each has a lot of specific data: GRHC in their Tree of Knowledge page and from Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference proceedings (available for purchase if you didn’t get to each one), and Greenroofs.com in FAQ’s, ResearchLinks, Industry Support, and The Greenroof Projects Database.

But getting back to the People article, I suggested ranges rather than hard facts for costs and energy savings because each greenroof project is unique, something we have all been harping on for years.  And in terms of numbers of projects, I gave my best guesstimate of “more than 500″ based on what we do have listed in The Greenroof Projects Database, profiles waiting to be entered, plus approximate numbers for under represented U.S. cities, including the more traditional sod homes found across the northern states.  And they only wanted figures for residential projects, so that number includes not only Single-Family but also Multi-Family and Multi-Use profiles.

That’s why it’s so important to keep compiling case studies from across the globe to show the world that greenroofs are viable, demand and construction are thriving, and the market is here to stay.  Everyone wants to know where they are, what type they are, who designed them, how big they are, etc., and of course everyone wants to see photos, too!  The Greenroof Projects Database is meant to be a free international resource, so we encourage you to continue submitting profiles with as much information as you feel comfortable sharing, and we always send readers back to the original source for follow up.

Getting back to the article, Ed has a couple of quotes and referring to the added capital investment of greenroofs, he simply says:

“It’s like getting a Prius or solar panels…It costs more upfront but there are long-term savings.”

In addition to the obvious ecologocal, economic, and aesthetic benefits, we all know that greenroofs offer habitat for displaced birds, butterflies and other wildlife.  I don’t know that goats up on a roof are the wave of the future, but I do believe that eco-friendly architecture is.  In today’s environmentally conscious climate, eco-trends are here to stay and as these trends become the norm and turn mainstream, we’ll see costs driven down and then the vegetated roofing market will really take off.

And who knows, maybe in a few years’ time alongside perusing the Best & Worst Dressed People issue we’ll be also reading about the Best Sustainable Design Trends in People - perhaps even an article behind the greening of the White House?  Now there’s a people story!

As an airline employee I’ve flown now on numerous 9/11 anniversaries, including today, returning from Orlando this morning from visiting my beautiful daughter, Anjuli.  Days after this other day which will also live on in infamy, we were given lapel pins which read “Remember, Honor, Renew” and I’ve worn it ever since on my uniform in remembrance.  You can’t help but Remember the horrific events of September, 11, 2001 – the panic, the disbelief, the heroic actions of so many, the souls lost, the families separated within this lifetime, and also the rather selfish line of ”Where were you on this date?” which people love to go on about.

So today on Patriot Day here in the Untied States we Honor the people from around the world whose lives were lost on U.S. soil here in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvannia because of what, obvious acts of aggression and extreme violence which equate to social/psychological/political intolerance? religious fanaticism? or perceived meritorious acts of moral justice or superiority?  Maybe also a combination of these and ideals from a certain small but albeit powerful faction of Muslim separatism, an extreme type of eco-centrism, and a belief that these terrorist acts are selfless, divine, and which according to these fanatics result in the extinction of evil and the promotion of greater good?  I recently read about “The Romantic Ideal” pertaining to The Holy War, which on one website states, 

“Muslims emphatically insist that the Jihad, or Holy War, was only a means of defence and was never used as an offensive act…”

I don’t pretend to know much about it, but I do know that many Muslims were dismayed and appalled at these actions.  Read much more on the war on behalf of Islam.

We also need to Honor everyone who reacted immediately with selfless acts – specifically the brave firefighters, police, and unnamed civilian heroes, and afterwards also to those of all races, creeds and nationalities who spoke against these inhumane actions – thank you!

So how about Renew part?  Let’s continue the healing process to renew our faith in human beings - as neighbors carpooling each other’s kids to individuals influencing our local and national political candidates – to ourselves as citizens of the world.   If we understand that we all live on one Earth, we can extend this committment to renewing our stewardship of our own planet – I mean, if we’re going to renew something, there’s nothing more sustainable for the long term than “live locally, act globally!”

When I put my pin on this morning it occurred to me, as a former student of landscape architecture back in the late 90’s and now as an ecological designer of greenroofs and green walls, that “Remember, Honor, Renew” is also a great philosophy in terms of environmental design.  We are taught to look at a site’s history, both physical and cultural, to determine the “genius loci” or spirit of place as a basis of design.  So from this perspective we can create a spiritual connection to the past in addition to promoting a renewal of ideals and ecological principles for the future, and really express the true nature of a site.

But the Imagine piece of the equation came to me from a rather personal perspective, but one that fits this new amended motto of “Remember, Honor, Renew…and Imagine.”  Our oldest son, Joey, celebrated his first anniversary with his wife, Korinne, in late July, and he picked out John Lennon’s “Imagine” as our wedding song together as mother and son – talk about a tear jerker!  It seemed the perfect fit for my firstborn who has grown into a young creative man with high ideals, so why not for the more jaded of us, too:

“Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one” ~ John Lennon, 1971

 

 

 

Imagine a world working in tandem to combat issues as seemingly unimportant as a specific religion (God is God, right?) or political theology to more pressing ones such as global warming (Nature as God perhaps?) and freedom, peace and safety for all.

So, “Remember, Honor, Renew…and Imagine.”  Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, maybe the new Freedom Tower which will replace New York’s World Trade Center (finished by 2011 or so) will embrace this new credo, but we certainly don’t have to wait until then to continue believing in ourselves and each other, and imagining a better future, do we?

Linda V.