Roland Appl, Germany: The Technical Director of ZinCo and President of the International Green Roof Association (IGRA) will present “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics.”
Jörg Breuning, USA and Germany: The principal of Green Roof Technology (Previously Green Roof Service) and co-founder of Green Roof Safari will present “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World.”
Tanya Müller Garcia, Mexico: The founder of AMENA – Asociación Mexicana para la Naturación de Azoteas – (National Mexican Greenroof Association), Vice-President of WGIN, and Director of Urban Reforestation and Bikeways for the City of Mexico will present “Development of Greenroofs and Walls in Mexico and Latin America.”
Richard Hayden, RLA, ASLA, CLARB, USA: The landscape architect and Garden Roof Department Manager at American Hydrotech, Inc. will present “Sloped and Complex Green Roofs.”
Haven Kiers, LEED AP, GRP, USA: The founding partner of GreenSwell Design and Planning, trainer with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will co-present the “2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” with Linda Velazquez.
Terry McGlade, Canada: The horticulturalist, landscape designer, and founder and President of Gardens in the Sky will present “Constructing Gardens in the Sky.”
Imagine a world of green: What are we doing to create organic architecture?
Next week I’ll highlight the rest of our stellar cast of greenroof and greenwall professionals and enthusiasts!
See the GGW Virtual Summit Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or the panel sessions.
You’ve got to admit that you can’t beat the super low registration fee of $99 for September 27 and 28 plus the 30 days archived on demand through October 28 to hear from all of these excellent speakers…
… but we want everyone to qualify for the even lower Associate Rate of only $49 (just type in the name of the non-profit/organization/constituency that you belong when prompted) or the Students/Faculty/Government Professionals Rate of only $25 (state the school/university or government).
And, you’ll be automatically entered for the chance at winning our second Apple iPad2 drawing, announced on September 30, 2011.
We hope you join us for this very interactive virtual experience – think film festival meets 2-day webinar and online expo extravaganza!
Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO (Rare Earth) and American Hydrotech (Emerald) and our Exhibitors, Associates, and Media Partners – make sure to visit them at the Expo Pavilions.
The ever growing demand for sustainable design continues to grow across the world – especially with living architecture, and Greenroofs.com’s inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit held online on September 27 and 28, 2011 is truly a groundbreaking event you can’t miss!
Join us as we inform, share, and create a global social media experience for learning and networking via the power of the Internet. It’s a community destination that will allow you to connect with everyone in our growing community!
Over 50 speakers from around the world are joining us in the Virtual Summit including architects, ecologists, landscape architects, engineers, educators, industry CEOs, product manufacturers and suppliers, botanists, non-profit directors, government officials and representatives from the state of New York, cities of Portland, OR; Chicago, IL; and the Bronx.
We’ve just released our very impressive international speaker line-up for the Virtual Summit 2011 – you can now see the Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or panel sessions.
Our Keynote Speakers are thinkers, designers, trend setters, eco-luminaries:
“Imagine a world of green: What are we doing to create organic architecture?”
Dr. Patrick Blanc, France: The renown botanist and creator of Le Mur Végétal will present “The Vertical Garden – from Nature to Cities” with an exclusive interview by Linda Velazquez.
Xianmin Wang, China: The Deputy Chief of the Vertical Greening Academic Group of China Green Building Council; Vice Chairman of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association will present “The Current Situation and Future of Green Roofs in China.”
We’re treating our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 as a production, and now you can see the trailer – it’s fast, fun, and informative and gives you a glimpse of presentations to come. Watch just a few highlights from our stellar cast of greenroof and greenwall professionals below:
Don’t forget to pre-register by September 9 for the discounted Early Bird rate of only $49 ($25 for students/faculty and government professionals) for access on both September 27 and 28 and 30 days archived on demand through October 28! Plus, you’ll be automatically entered for the chance to win the first of two Apple iPad2s that we’re giving away.
One random winner will be chosen from the Early Bird Pre-Registrations and one from attendees who have been the most active using the Social Collaboration Network, including all your online chatting and visiting our very important sponsor and exhibitor booths at the Expo Pavilions!
Brought to you by Greenroofs.com, we’d like to thank to our Virtual Summit Sponsors TREMCO and American Hydrotech and our Exhibitors and Media Partners:
See our Press Release here. Join us for the sharing, networking and fun event of the year!
Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video. Here’s the transcript from July 29, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here. Enjoy!
- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for this week, July 29th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.
- Our project of the week is the Church Street Station, built in 2002 in Evanston, Illinois. Focus Development wanted to build their 17-story postmodern Church Street Station Condominiums not only with beautiful interiors but also to be a place that their customers would love to call home. They also had future needs in mind by putting in a garden roof where condo owners could go to get away from the day-to-day stresses. Adding natural beauty to the 5th floor roof atop the residents’ parking structure, this 8,500 s.f. garden roof sits alongside a beautiful pool and fitness room. American Hydrotech provided the Garden Roof Assembly, which is a seamless, hot-applied rubberized asphalt membrane that provides long-lasting protection and incorporates a minimum of 25% recycled materials – along with retaining moisture, irrigating the vegetation from the underside, helping to recreate the plants’ natural growing environment on the roof. Birch, maple and evergreen trees, tall grasses, and flowering shrubs and perennials create a naturalistic backdrop to the lush lawn and beautiful arbors, making the garden roof a benefit for the building owner, its occupants, and the whole neighborhood.
To learn more about the Church Street Station garden roof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.
- Pre-Registration is now open for our Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011! Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design, a Greenroofs.com Virtual Conference and Expo, which will be held on August 23rd & 24th of this year! Remember to Pre-Register by the Early Bird Registration date of August 10th and you’ll be entered to win one of two iPad2’s that we’ll be giving away!
- Also here on Greenroofs.com: Our monthly eNewsletter is going out today, so look for it in your inboxes!
- This week state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced that urban forestry grants totaling $966,489 are being awarded to communities & organizations across New York. The NY State Urban & Community Forestry Program provides technical assistance to communities through local Urban Foresters & ReLeaf volunteers.
- You can apply for a Greening Western Queens Fund Grant by submitting an application to the North Star Fund by September 12, 2011. Special consideration will be given to the planning and/or creation of greenroofs and other newly created green spaces that demonstrate multiple benefits, for example, energy conservation and increased local food production.
New York Green Roofs is looking for a Foreman-in-training and a Green Roof Installation Laborer in New York, NY.
- At the Sky Gardens Blog, read Linda’s latest posts: “CitiesAlive Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow, August 29!” – which is today, so make sure you register to save $150 off the registration rate; “Virtual Summit 2011: Participating with the SCN!,” “Greenroofs.com’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: July 22nd, 2011,” and our GPW!
- Alexandra and Elena Hall, of blogTO talk “Atop the Sky Garden of UofT.” They say, “initiated by the Urban Agriculture Society and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and urban agriculture enthusiasts, the Sky Garden is one of Toronto’s largest rooftop vegetable gardens and the first of its kind on a Canadian university rooftop.” The garden has grown fresh produce for the student community and all harvested vegetables and herbs are donated to the University of Toronto’s food banks, Hot Yam!, a student-run vegan cafe, and/or divided among the volunteers. Reducing the amount of time and labour necessary for maintenance, the garden’s built-in irrigation system makes sure that water and organic fertilizers are evenly distributed. Read the full article to find out how you can take a tour of the Sky Garden!
- Wade Malcolm of The News Journal announces, “First green roof on UD campus will keep class comfortable.” Annette Shine, a chemical engineering associate professor at the University of Delaware, decided to grown a garden on the roof of the Colburn building. The 14,000 square feet of small sedums planted in trays with 4 to 8 inches of soil is UD’s first greenroof. Rooftop gardens are popping up on campuses around the country and are a great way to cool buildings in hot weather and teach faculty and students about the benefits of greening their buildings. In the case of the Colburn building at UD, the plants cause the peak temperature on the roof to occur later in the day, at a time when they don’t have many classes. Another greenroof is currently under construction at the university.
- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or newslinks section of our website.
- Have something you think we should know about and post on our website? You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.
Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 7/25/11 Church Street Station Evanston, IL, USA 8,500 sf. Greenroof
Year: 2002 Owner: Focus Development Location: Evanston, IL, USA Building Type: Multi-Family Residential/Multi-Use Type: Intensive System: Single Source Provider Size: 8,500 sq.ft. Slope: 1.5% Access: Accessible, Open to Public
Project Description & Details
When it planned to build the Church Street Station Condominiums, the building owner, Focus Development, added an important feature to the building – a Garden Roof – where condominium owners could go to get away from the bustle of daily life. Installed on the 5th floor roof atop the residents’ parking structure alongside a beautiful pool and fitness room, this 8,500 sf Garden Roof not only adds natural beauty, it has proven a major selling advantage – a private oasis in the middle of downtown Evanston and mere moments away from occupants’ doorsteps.
Installed by Intrinsic Landscaping, the Garden Roof Assembly was provided by American Hydrotech and is based on time-tested components like the Monolithic Membrane 6125-EV waterproof membrane. Birch, maple and evergreen trees, tall grasses, and flowering shrubs and perennials create a naturalistic backdrop to the lush lawn and beautiful arbors. The growing media depth in the lawn area is 8″, with the perimeter parapet in the range of 18″ deep. The irrigation is through pop up emitters.
Designers/Manufacturers of Record
Architects: Otis Koglin Wilson General Contractor: Walsh Construction Landscaping Installer:Intrinsic Landscaping Roofing Installer: Mansfield Roofing Garden Roof Manufacturer:American Hydrotech Landscape Architect: Douglas Hills and Associates Engineer: Alta Engineering, Ltd.
Additional Info
Construction for Church Street Station began in May 2001, and first closings occurred in September, 2002. The 17 story, 105-unit condominium development also has 17,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. Located in the heart of downtown Evanston, the multi-use project includes an indoor swimming pool with outdoor sun deck, fitness center and parking.
The development has a prime attraction due to its proximity to public transportation with CTA and Metra stops across the street, in addition to the array of distinct shops and upscale restaurants within easy walking distance.
“Church Street Station features 18 floor plans among its 103 condo-miniums, including soft lofts, tower homes, deluxe tower homes, and duplex penthouses. All homes feature one to three bedrooms, one to four baths, floor-to-ceiling windows, and private balconies or terraces. The building also boasts a number of luxury high-rise amenities, including a doorperson, indoor pool, outdoor sun deck, fitness center, hospitality room, bike room, private storage lockers, and rooftop terrace with garden.” ~ Church Street Station Condominium Association.
Visit their website where you can find information about the building and the city of Evanston, Illinois.
And perhaps the coolest amenity is the lushly landscaped vegetative roof!
The developer decided on the greenroof system as an environmentally friendly response to the urban heat island effect of increasing temperatures from this growing area. The project is sold out and the retail is 80% leased.
The high quality and efficiency of the sytem chosen, the Garden Roof Assembly, by American Hydrotech, starts with their Monolithic Membrane 6125-EV waterproof membrane. A seamless hot-applied rubberized asphalt membrane, MM6125-EV provides long-lasting protection and incorporates a minimum of 25% recycled materials. The assembly also includes Floradrain FD40, which helps to recreate the plants’ natural growing environment on the roof. Designed to retain moisture, irrigating the vegetation from the underside, Floradrain also channels excess water to drains.
In this November, 2009 video below I found on YouTube, you are taken on a tour of the sprawling greenroof, the indoor pool and the fitnesss room by Joe Zekas of YoChicago.com:
In 2001 when the developer, Focus Development, decided to invest in their beautiful living roof, they said they were taking the lead from Chicago’s City Hall Pilot Greenroof, which had just installed theirs to show civic leadership earlier that year.
If you can’t fight City Hall, you can always join it, right? Click here to see the profile from forward-thinking Focus Development.
Southface is the U.S. Southeast’s non-profit leader in the promotion of sustainable homes, workplaces and communities. Built by a consortium of construction firms using widely available, off-the-shelf products, materials and technologies, the Platinum LEED® Southface Eco Office is a three-story structure with a rooftop green roof open to the public for educational tours. Also holding an ENERGY STAR label and EarthCraft Light Commercial certification, as well as meeting The 2030 Challenge, the Eco Office is noted for its average energy cost of less than $25 per day.
The Turner Foundation Green Roof on top of the third floor expands the office space into a rooftop patio with a spectacular view of downtown Atlanta. The growing media is about 4″ deep, and was planted by staff and volunteers with a variety of Sedums, Delospermas, Talinums, and Hens and Chicks. It’s also home to a 6.4 kW photovoltaic array and a 1,750-gallon rainwater collection cistern. Waterproofing was supplied by American Hydrotech, J-DRain by JDR Enterprises, Mr. Natural growing media by ItSaul Natural, and plants by Saul Nurseries.
For over 30 years, Southface Energy Institute has promoted sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance. Driven by the Atlanta area’s growing need to save energy and water, and to preserve our natural resources, Southface proactively encourages responsible solutions for environmental living. For example, all paved surfaces on the site are constructed of porous concrete to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff, and the rooftop cistern below, collects rainwater from the building’s solar photovoltaic array.
I first visited Southface in the early ’00’s, when I was initially involved with the Atlanta City Hall Pilot Greenroof, and it was very green then. They used to host the monthly Cool Communities meetings there with government, industry, academic and other non-profit stakeholders. Then I became involved a bit with the volunteers who designed and provided materials and services for the new Eco Office. It has always been an enlightening and rewarding place – they do great work! Once the Eco Office was finished in 2008, it was over-the-top green!
Speaking of great work, for over 10 years now Southface has been involved with the Greenprints Conference and Trade Show. Co-hosted by Southface and the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), Greenprints is a two-day, high-impact educational event that addresses forward-thinking strategies for sustainable planning, policy, design and construction. Living here in the Atlanta area, I’ve been several years, and spoke there in 2009 – it’s extremely informative and interactive.
Below is a view of the Southface Energy Office seen from the south at dusk, 2009:
“The Eco Office presents a striking profile against the evening sky and provides an appealing location for an evening soiree. Greenroof on right, and adjacent is the Southface Resource Center which was completed in 1996 to show off the best of residential green building design,” ~ Photo Courtesy Southface, Photo By and Copyright Jonathan Hillyer Photography
At 10,100 sf, the Southface Eco Office is the same size as about 74% of all commercial buildings in the U.S., but it uses 84 percent less potable water, primarily by using captured rainwater for all sewage conveyance and irrigation therefore significantly reducing its need for municipally provided potable water. It also 53 percent less energy than a comparable building!
Fully instrumented to measure its resources on a 24/7 basis, you can check out performance results in real time daily, while it stores historic data for later analysis. You can do this online via Lucid Design Group’s Building Dashboard, screens above and below, or at the touch screen located at their office.
Some other cool features you can learn about online are the tubular skylights on the Eco Office’s greenroof that provide natural daylighting with minimal solar heat gain eliminating the need for artificial lighting during the day:
Southface has a redesigned website that’s pretty awesome, and have an amazing virtual tour showing features of the exterior, interior, and systems. Make sure you visit it to learn more. But if you’re in the area on Wednesdays, read here for real tours.
“The Eco Office proves that effective green building by firms like Lord, Aeck & Sargent can result in designing and constructing buildings that live up to energy efficiency expectations. The firm’s Director of Sustainability, Jim Nicolow, states “The green building movement needs to move beyond intuition to validation. A necessity of high-performance design is the use of quantitative analysis to inform design decisions.” ~ as seen in TriplePundit
In 2009, Southface received the Conserve Georgia Natural Leaders Award for Water Conservation for its LEED Platinum-certified Eco Office. By the way, if you’re in the market, you can rent The Turner Foundation Green Roof, with its spectacular, panoramic city views and capacity for up to 50 people!
It’s a model of sustainability, new technologies, educational resources, and aesthetically striking – what more could you ask for from an eco-office?
Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video. Here’s the transcript from May 27, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli - click on the photo below to see the video, or here. Enjoy!
- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for May 27th, 2011, on GreenroofsTV.
- Our project of the week is the Unilever Corporate Headquarters designed by HDR, Inc, built in 2009 located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The greenroof project is a 16,000 sq ft membrane roof retrofit over a 4-story office building, and the existing roofs needed to be replaced because they were leaking and showing signs of deterioration. Unilever desired a roofing system with an enjoyable appearance, considering its high level of visibility from the next door conference room space. A new ‘Hydrotech’ monolithic membrane system with an extensive ‘LiveRoof’ pre-vegetated tray system was used. A large variety of 15 types of Sedum and one Delosperma was planted. To learn more about the Unilever Corporate Headquarters greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.
- Advertiser Press Release: Thanks partly to Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, Local School and Students of The Kenton County School District in Kentucky have benefited from the state’s Largest Solar Electric Installation.
- LiveRoof and GreenFeathers, Inc. Announce Jenny Ruthven as the New Regional Sales Representative in the Pacific Northwest for the LiveRoof Hybrid Green Roof System.
- Manufactured by VAST Enterprises, Firestone SkyPaver™ Composite Roof Pavers were Selected for Projects in Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio.
- Make sure to read George Irwin’s latest article “The Next Add-On Service for Green Roofs and Green Walls” where you can read about his “take on the latest profitable service for landscape contractors, roof garden and green wall professionals and garden lovers alike.
- Over at the Sky Gardens Blog, check out our new Guest Blog post by Matt Burlin, the Outreach Coordinator for Sustainable Stormwater Management with the City of Portland Environmental Services. He reminds us that June 1 is the deadline of the sixth round of the Ecoroof Incentive. Also see Linda’s latest posts for our GPW, the Unilever Corporate Headquarters, and last week’s ‘This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV.
- Lorna Thorpe of The Guardian talks about “British Land – offering urban shelter and habitats for insects and rare birds.” She says, “British Land won over the judges for its contribution to local biodiversity – urban habitats that provide shelter and foraging for insects, rare birds and plants in the heart of London.” In one of the most effective ways to enhance biodiversity, British Land is setting the standard for biodiverse green roofs at many of its buildings; and over the past few years they have installed green roofs on all of its most recent office developments in central London, along with retrofitting them to some existing buildings.
- Andrew Michler of Inhabitat.com says that “Green-Roofed Minneapolis Central Library is a Civic Lesson on Eco Design.” Minneapolis has one of the greenest libraries and the third largest library collection per capita in the US. The Minneapolis Central Library by Pelli Clark Pelli hosts a huge atrium that splits the building into layers of light-filled spaces to help encourage visitors to find a nice book and stay awhile. A series of greenroofs, advanced cooling and heating systems, and low-energy lights cuts the library’s energy use by nearly a third, teaching everyone by example exactly how deep green design benefits everyone.
- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or newslinks section of our website.
- Have something you think we should know about and post on our website? You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.
HDR was commissioned to assist Unilever in the relocation of approximately 400 employees to their campus at Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. A major renovation of the facilities would be required to support the consolidation and maintain the Unilever Headquarters image. The green roof project was an outgrowth of updating the facility and promoted Unilever’s proactive stand on sustainability.
The Unilever Green Roof Project is a 16,000 SF membrane roof retrofit over a 4-story office building. 13,000 SF of the green roof resides over the 3rd floor and the remaining 3,000 SF resides between two open atriums over the 2nd floor. Specific project challenges involved high visibility from adjacent conference and executive office space; existing railings that did not meet current building codes; existing roof leaks; minimal roof slope; concrete waffle slab structure; and existing load capacity. A new Hydrotech monolithic membrane system with an extensive LiveRoof pre-vegetated tray system including 15 types of Sedum and one Delosperma was implemented.
Designers/Manufacturers of Record
Architect/Engineer: HDR, Inc. Modular Greenroof System: LiveRoof Waterproofing Manufacturer: American Hydrotech Waterproofing Contractor: Grandview Waterproofing Inc. Greenroof Contractor: Parker Urban Greenscapes LiveRoof Grower/Nursery: Creek Hill Nursery Rooftop Pavers: Hanover Architectural Products Edge Resistant Systems: Permaloc
Additional Info
HDR, Inc.’s work included a full renovation of a 1970’s vintage office space, as well as 24,000 square feet of new construction for modern office areas. They also created a central campus conference center and renovated the 16,000-square-foot 700 Campus cafeteria.
Special emphasis on the design was placed on developing interaction among the various business groups; “engagement areas” allow employees to come together and explore product innovations and marketing strategies; site planning also included a “vitality trail” around the campus.
See the Unilever roof below before the greenroof, during the waterproofing phase, and after. Read HDR, Inc.’s case study here.
This is not the first commitment from Unilever to green architecture. In fact, their European headquarters located in Hamburg, Germany’s HafenCity on the Elbe River, is considered much more than an office complex. Designed by Behnisch Architects, the vision is for it to act as an extension of a new burgeoning city core. Envisioned like a vertical village, the huge inside atrium embraces tons of natural light, supplemented by super efficient LED interior lights. Read more about this at Inhabitat: “Unilever’s Energy Efficient Office is One of the Greenest in Europe.”
Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video. Here’s the transcript for May 6, 2011 from our daughter, Anjuli - click on the photo below to see the video, or here. Enjoy!
- Hello, I’m Anjuli Velazquez and welcome to This Week in Review for May 6th, 2011, on GreenroofsTV.
- Our project of the week is the Growing Up – also known as 131 Queen Street – greenroof built in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne’s skyline is now a little greener with the completion of the world’s first fully-funded, competition-designed, retrofitted green roof. The Growing Up project was launched to retrofit a green roof on a Central Business District building and to demonstrate the environmental and social benefits of green roofs on city buildings. BENT Architecture won the design competition established for the project, and the 10-story office building at 131 Queen Street was chosen as the site. KHD Landscape Engineering Solutions and Green Roof Technologies were involved in creating the green space as part of the $300,000 project, working together to provide end-to-end design, construction and maintenance services for green roofs. The Growing Up project won the Melbourne Design Award for Commercial Architecture for 2010.
- To learn more about the Growing Up (131 Queen Street) greenroof, click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.
- The Winner of our 2011 “Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!” Earth Day Photo Contest is the Aqua in Chicago, Illinois! Congrats to Linda Smith from Barrett Company who submitted this lovely project which received the most votes from all the entries! You can learn all about the Aqua at the Sky Gardens Blog.
- Read Haven Kiers’ latest Sky Gardens post “American Institute of Architects Select their 2011 COTE (coat) Top Ten Green Projects.” Now in its 15th year, the AIA and its Committee on the Environment, or COTE, have once again selected their top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. See the three great 2011 Top Ten Award Winners that have incorporated greenroofs into their design.
- Tafline Laylin of Inhabitat.com says “It’s Always Play Time at Henning Larsen’s Beautiful Green-Roofed Day Care Center in Denmark.” Its tall windows let in lots of light while a special climate zone allows the children to play without gloves despite the cruel winters. Wedged into a hillside, this building keeps energy consumption to a minimum and also features a small herb and vegetable garden for the kids. As usual, Inhabitat has more stunning photos, so go to the article and browse their gallery.
- Another article with beautiful pictures is “House Ocho with a Lively Green Roof.” Preston Koerner of Jetson Green talks about this project in Carmel, California designed by Feldman Architecture, whose most notable detail is its dynamic greenroof that blends in with the hillside of the Santa Lucia Mountains. House Ocho has additional green aspects which include the integrated photovoltaic skylights, custom windows to optimize passive solar heating, thermal mass in the form of concrete floors, radiant heat floors, recycled denim insulation, and sustainably harvested wood floors. You can read more about this project in our Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database at the link below (http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=1116) or just type in Project ID # 1116 on the Projects Database search screen under Keyword.
- To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or newslinks section of our website.
- Have something you think we should know about and post on our website? You can send us your green articles, videos and images to editor@greenroofs.com.
Lovely Chicago is simply the greenest of the green cities, and there’s no doubt that Greenbuild is the greenest of the green conferences! See this short and fun video, “Generation Green: Redefining our Future” with tons of cool photos around town. It asks us to “Re: think Chicago” and is all about the merits of the Windy City - its 25 miles of public waterfront, for example, and how it’s “Re-evolutionizing the Building Industry” by greening everything from to parks and buildings to schools and jobs:
Thousands of building enthusiasts and professionals from across the globe participate at Greenbuild for three days of informative educational sessions, renowned speakers, green building tours, seminars, and various networking events. Chicago’s LEED-certified McCormick Place West on Lake Shore Drive – with its 96,000 sf Green Roof Blocks™ modular system greenroof that retains about 77,812 gallons of stormwater that would otherwise flow into Lake Michigan – is the host for this exciting annual event.
Held from November 17 through November 19, 2010, retired U.S. General Colin L. Powell kicked off Greenbuild 2010 this morning at the Greenbuild Opening Plenary:
General Powell inspired the packed room – filled with roughly 12,000 Greenbuild attendees – with messages of leadership and optimism – and a great sense of humor! ~ Greenbuild 2010
Showcasing the latest in innovative products and services, the Greenbuild International Expo is the world’s largest expo hall devoted completely to all forms of green building, including greenroofs and greenwalls! We try and attend at least the Expo every year, but weren’t able this time because of our heavy travelling schedule (Mexico City in October and Singapore at the beginning of November), but if you’re there you can:
Support Greenroofs.com’s Advertisers by visiting them on the Trade Show floor:
And Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has had a booth there for several years now, promoting the North American Green Roof Industry Association. Make sure to visit them at Booth # T24 and pick up a Green Roof Tour Map showing all their members’ booths, and get ready to attend the 8th Annual Green Roof and Green Wall Conference – CitiesAlive! in beautiful Vancouver, B.C. on November 30 – December 3, 2010.
Of course, the International Expo is just one great component of this great green show of shows, so for more information about this wonderful city, the line up of speakers, educational programs and activities for 2010 Greenbuild, please visit: http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Headquarters in Washington, D.C. was our Greenroof Project of the Week (GPW) from April 25 through last Sunday, May 2, 2010. When I asked ASLA for some updates on the roof, they explained they were in the midst of midyear meetings, so I knew I would be a bit late reporting on this beautiful rooftop space, but here we go! I chose this particular project to end April, aptly befitting since it was Landscape Architecture Month. Founded in 1899, ASLA chose April because it is the birth month of the “Father of Landscape Architecture,” Frederick Law Olmsted, and in any case it’s certainly a perfect example of thoughtful, sustainable design to end Earth Month on a positive note, too.
Being an associate member of ASLA (I’m not full ASLA because although I have a degree in landscape architecture, I’m not licensed as a landscape architect - aka LA), I was very proud that our professional organization became a greenroofing pioneer when they decided to retrofit their headquarters with a living roof back in 2004. Under the leadership of landscape arcitechture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA) and in typical LA fashion, a creative, design-focused team of practitioners was established to determine functionality and design intent with all the stakeholders. Multiple charrettes afforded an open invitation to collaborative feedback and re-design. One of the main priorities was for the roof to provide educational, viewing, and recreational opportunities to employees and visitors – in effect, a landmark demonstration project to showcase the many benefits of greenroofs and what landscape architects contribute to this project type.
Since weight was a potential issue on the older building as well as accessibility, the project began with a structural assessment to ensure that the roof could accommodate the additional load of a greenroof, around 40 lbs/sf for an extensive roof. Limitations became opportunities for creative design:
“The designers made maximum use of the structural capacity of the building, varying soil depths and plantings to take advantage of differing load capacities. For example, the elevator shaft has the greatest structural capacity and could accommodate 21 inches of soil; plantings on the elevator shaft include sumac trees, which may grow as tall as 30 feet at maturity.” ~ ASLA Green Roof Demonstration Project Fact Sheet
The ASLA greenroof is unique in so many ways! As stewards of the Earth, landscape architects promote native plants, which always positions a plantscape – whether on land or roof – to accurately portray its genius loci, or sense of place. And yet as we all know, greenroofs most certainly are not set in native environments – the “soil” is not native as it is a highly engineered growing medium designed to supply drainage and retain moisture, secure and anchor plant roots, and provide aeration and nutrients in a highly unnatural environment – a rooftop usually separated from the ground plane by many feet.
Balancing this responsibility, ASLA decided to inform the public regarding both options and the roof contains both native and introduced plant species – the more proven, non-native greenroof plant material, which for the most part has been the true survivors of the harsh effects of wind, frost, heat, and drought found on a roof, and various native selections researched to perform well under this stressful conditions. Here’s a look at the changing aesthetics of nature, even on designed spaces – the two photos above show the South Wave in bloom: the top photo is from early May, 2007, and the bottom from June, 2009, which sports its current look.
[The] “desire to make the green roof feel like a garden also guided MVVA’s approach to planting the space. The idea was to use the roof as a kind of laboratory for identifying species, beyond the typical green roof sedums, that could thrive in shallow soil, and under the harsh environmental conditions typical of many urban rooftops, without extensive maintenance or watering. We were particularly interested in plants that might offer increased environmental and experiential value.
“In addition to a variety of succulents, therefore, the plantings included flowering perennials like Goldenrod, Spiderwort, Black-eyed Susans, Artemesia, and Butterfly Milkweed, as well as a variety of grasses, including Blue Gamma Grass, and Virginia Wild Rye. For the first two years during the establishment of the plants, we had a member of our staff make periodic visits to evaluate the success of the planting, making adjustments to the plans based on our observations.” ~ Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
So their design features two different but equally stunning elevated ”waves” featuring a 6″ deep semi-extensive system with both native (flowering herbaceous perennials and grasses) and non-native plants on the North Wave, 6′ high, and non-native plants (mostly sedums) on the 4.5″ deep extensive South Wave system, 5′ high. From the central viewing platform, plants are brought up to eye level and an aluminum grating was added so sedum is literally blooming at visitors’ feet from another extensive greenroof system underneath.
The waves also act as noise insulators from the a/c units and the roof provides an urban habitat for birds, pollinating insects and butterflies. Completed in 2006 and open to the public almost five years now, visitors have come from around the world to view the 3,000 sf greenroof, including past First Lady Laura Bush.
MMVA provided the axonometric drawing (thumbnail) at left of the various layers of the greenroof which shows how the design uses typical green roof materials, but in a way that is layered and exaggerated to create a space that is visually engaging and multi-functional (originally posted in the April, 2006 USATODAY.com article “Green roofs swing temperatures in urban jungles” by April Holladay under “Anatomy of a Green Roof“). Rachel Gleeson, Senior Associate with MVVA, explains that the spatial innovation of the design is an extreme vertical exaggeration of the roof insulation (Styrofoam) to create the two large sloping landforms that are the “waves,” rising to heights up to six feet. Covered with only a thin soil profile, they create a rare kind of rooftop topography that has a profound influence on the space.
Yet the waves posed technical challenges. After the application of the Styrofoam, a perforated soil retention membrane was added to allow water to stream through but still hold the plants in place. A cable was then run through the system to prevent it from becoming airborne. Rachel continues: “Strong winds on the small roof threatened to shear the lightweight foam from its anchors, and the shape and angle of the landforms’ walls compounded this threat. Robert Sillman Associates, the structural engineer on the project, devised an ingenious solution that used the arcing steel frames of the landforms as armature. [The cable] elegantly secures the two foam objects to the roof trusses below, preventing the foam from blowing off the building.”
“One of the things that MVVA felt was important with the ASLA Green Roof was to establish a precedent for a hybrid green roof garden that celebrated the unique pleasure of an urban rooftop garden without sacrificing the utility and low weight of a typical green roof. Some of the most exciting aspects of the ASLA Green Roof are the ones that demonstrate ways that the human uses and the green roof functions could really support each other – most notably the “waves” of raised planting and also the grating that allowed for open walking surfaces above planted areas.” ~ MVVA
Each wave is distinct and beautiful at different times of the year and serves double-duty by not only offering all of the ecological, environmental, aesthetic and psychological benefits pertaining to greenroofing, but showing the public options for creating a living roof of their own. And the innovative metal grating walkway system over the middle greenroof plantings allowed ASLA to utilize 90% of the greenroof by planting sedum and other succulents below the grates!
“For the most part, sedum and green roof plants cannot be walked on, which often times creates a trade-off between having a green roof and creating an occupiable space for people. The experimental system used in the ASLA Green Roof floats a super lightweight aluminum grating, low in heat conductivity, 3” over a thin green roof system of sedum. The sedum selected usually reaches about 6” in height, so the plants are not hidden, but can poke up through the aluminum grating a bit. In the areas of high traffic the plants that emerge through the grate get trampled a little, but this results in regeneration, rather than destruction.” (MVVA)
One more unique feature of the project is the buy-in received from not only members of ASLA who contributed money, but also the greenroof industry - the majority of the products and services were donated. Major donors include: American Hydrotech and their Garden Roof Assembly; Emory Knoll Farms/Green Roof Plants for vegetation; and St. Louis Metal Works for edging and drains, to name a few (see the complete list here).
ASLA also received a $25,000 Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant from the Chesapeake Bay Program, a partnership between Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, and the federal government.
Keith Swann, Special Assistant to the Exec. VP, American Society of Landscape Architects, shares the following info with us:
The American Society of Landscape Architects Green Roof Five Years Later
The ASLA green roof still continues to amaze all who visit it. And those visitors have come from as far as the Middle East, Far East and Australia to witness its beauty. With its wide variety of soil depths and diverse plant selection, this green roof offers many microclimates for the plants to thrive. From the terrace level with three inches of growing medium, the sedums have thrived under the innovative grating system as well as the in the other areas. This grating, aluminum, light-weight and recyclable, allowed a maximum planting area and walkable space on the roof. The bonus is the sedums bloom at your feet in addition to on the “waves” bringing a wide abundance of plants and color to eye level for everyone to enjoy.
In addition to the terrace level and waves, the newly added staircase, which makes this a popular public project, has 12 inches of growing medium and flourishing shrubs of fragrant sumacs, Pasture rose, and New Jersey tea. The elevator shaft has 21 inches of growing medium and houses the Flame sumac and the trumpet vine that is covering the trellis for additional shade as you enter the green roof.
By using the Hobo temperature monitoring system, the green roof has shown a maximum temperature difference of 43.5 degrees lower than from a nearby tar roof. As the plants have matured, this temperature has risen from the initial reading of 39.5 degrees lower. The expectation is that as the plants mature even more over the years, the temperature difference between the two roofs would continue to increase. As a demonstration project, this type is data is very useful in determining the just one more attribute of how green roofs are healthier for the environment than conventional roofs.
The roof has been monitored for stormwater runoff, water quality (to determine the concentrations of contaminants of concern leaving the greenroof), and air temperature and is compared with data from the conventional roof on the building next door. See a synopsis of comprehensive water monitoring data from the first year of the ASLA Headquarters’ greenroof here or the full briefing report (both .doc files).
The ASLA is very committed to promoting the work of landscape architects and greenroofs, so much that they have a section of their website devoted to the subject – Green Roof Central, where you can learn all about greenroofs in general as well as their own. There’s a webcam showing the HQ greenroof and a page for educators and students – the ASLA Green Roof Education Program, The Roof is Growing! The program provides print and web-based educational materials geared to a middle-school age audience (grades 6 - 8) and their teachers. Key goals of the program are to raise awareness of environmental issues and the role green roofs can play in reducing storm water runoff, mitigating the urban heat island effect, improving air quality, and providing important biohabitat for birds and insects. (In 2007 I was one of the expert reviewers of the four segments of the “The Roof Is Growing!” web component.)
Advocacy is a also a big item for the ASLA – they focus on state and federal issues that impact the profession of landscape architecture. Advocacy efforts are organized around these key issues: economic recovery, transportation, sustainable design, livable communities, water & stormwater, and historic landscapes.
Greenroofs.com highlighted the ASLA HQ greenroof in our 2009 Greenroofs of the World™ Calendar for the month of August with the photo above (but we Photoshopped out the ad on the brick wall per their request), and as familiar as I am with this roof, I haven’t yet visited this lovely, warm green space created with humans and nature in mind – but I promise, I will! See a one and a half minute video of the ASLA Green Roof from the organization below for a quick visual of this beautifully designed, ecologically inspired, showcase of responsible architecture:
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Headquarters is located at 636 Eye Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001. Tours of the ASLA greenroof are available for groups or individuals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm by calling ASLA at 202.898.2444 or filling out a form.
Roland Appl, Germany: The Technical Director of ZinCo and President of the International Green Roof Association (IGRA) will present “Combining Green Roofs with Photovoltaics.”
Jörg Breuning, USA and Germany: The principal of Green Roof Technology (Previously Green Roof Service) and co-founder of Green Roof Safari will present “Green Roof Technology Sails Around the World.”
Tanya Müller Garcia, Mexico: The founder of AMENA – Asociación Mexicana para la Naturación de Azoteas – (National Mexican Greenroof Association), Vice-President of WGIN, and Director of Urban Reforestation and Bikeways for the City of Mexico will present “Development of Greenroofs and Walls in Mexico and Latin America.”
Richard Hayden, RLA, ASLA, CLARB, USA: The landscape architect and Garden Roof Department Manager at American Hydrotech, Inc. will present “Sloped and Complex Green Roofs.”
Haven Kiers, LEED AP, GRP, USA: The founding partner of GreenSwell Design and Planning, trainer with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will co-present the “2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” with Linda Velazquez.
Terry McGlade, Canada: The horticulturalist, landscape designer, and founder and President of Gardens in the Sky will present “Constructing Gardens in the Sky.”
Chris Wark, MSME, LEED AP, USA: The engineer, Senior Energy Analyst for Viridian Energy & Environmental, and contributing editor on Greenroofs.com will present “E = MC2 of Green Roofs: Ranking Energy Benefits by Mission, Climate and Construction.”
See the GGW Virtual Summit Speakers page and Agenda to learn all about each presenter and their presentations or the panel sessions.
Rosemarie S. Andolino, USA: The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner will present “
Dr. Patrick Blanc, France: The renown botanist and creator of Le Mur Végétal will present “
Dr. Nigel Dunnett, UK: The Director of the Green Roof Centre and University of Sheffield Professor will present “
Paul Kephart, USA: The President of Rana Creek and ecological designer will present “
Xianmin Wang, China: The Deputy Chief of the Vertical Greening Academic Group of China Green Building Council; Vice Chairman of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association will present “
Year: 2002
Architects: Otis Koglin Wilson
Year: 2008
Designers/Manufacturers of Record
Year: 2009
Designers/Manufacturers of Record
