Greenroofs.com’s “This Week in Review” on GreenroofsTV: March 2, 2012

Each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com through our “This Week in Review” video.  Here is the transcript from March 2nd, 2012 from our daughter,  Anjuli – click on the photo below to see the video, or here.  Enjoy!

– Hello, I’m Anjuli Velázquez and welcome to  “This Week in Review” for March 2nd, 2012 on GreenroofsTV.

–  Project of the Week

– 360 Smith Street Residences built in 2011 in Brooklyn, New York. These 19th century garden brownstones are in the heart of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and have easy access to public transportation, schools, playgrounds, the waterfront, and downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan. The greenroof that sits atop the new residential building offers a unique 360 degree view of the Manhattan skyline and downtown Brooklyn. It is 6700 sq ft of relaxation for its residents while serving as a vital role in stormwater retention.

An Optigreen drainage profile from Conservation Technology was used and Sempergreen green roof sedum mats were installed for the extensive area. The rooflite ® depth is 3.5 inches for most areas; and Joe Donnelly of rooflite ® said, “What a stunning project – visual interest in all seasons. Well planned, and well executed by Future Green. Created a beneficial space for all residents of the building. When we visited the project in November 2011, the superintendent remarked on how easy his maintenance has been, and a party crew was there to set up tiki torches and equipment for a resident’s event. Add that to the list of green roof benefits – happy management and happy residents.”

– To learn more about the 360 Smith Street Residences,  click on our project of the week photo on our homepage (or on the above photos).

What’s New

–  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Video

– Watch our Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 12: Panel Session “Wind. Water. Heat. Grow. Greenroofs.” with Bill Retzlaff, David Aponte, Kevin Songer and Joe Webb.

And watch the rest of the videos in this series on our  GreenroofsTV page and/or our  greenroofsTV YouTube channel.

– The Greenroofs.com eNewsletter

– Our February 2012 eNewsletter is out!  Subscribe now and check it out.

–  Advertiser Press Releases:

– Landscape Architecture Firm to Host Lecture & Workshop on New Gardening Techniques with Green Living Technologies Pioneer George Irwin.
– Tournesol Siteworks Uses Upcycled Urban Wood Instead of Rainforest Timber in Commercial Site Furnishings.

– Joblinks Update

– Ginkgo Sustainability is seeking a Green Roof Installation Foreman in Toronto, Canada.

–  Intrinsic Landscaping, Inc. is looking for a Maintenance Supervisor in Glenview, Illinois.

–  Apex Green Roofs is looking for an Intern to aid in maintenance tasks in Somerville, Massachusetts.

–  Sky Gardens Blog

–  Over at Sky Gardens, check out Linda’s latest posts: “Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011 Episode 12: Panel Session “Wind. Water. Heat. Grow. Greenroofs.,” “Chic Sustainability Watch: Trends, Projects & People – Some Newly Started, Almost Done, & Finished,” and “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: February 24th, 2012.”

– “Upcoming Events“

–  March 4th-7th: is Green Cities 2012 – THINK Conference, in Sydney, Australia.

–  March 4th-11th: is the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show, in Philadelphia, PA.

–  March 6th: is What’s up (on the roof) with winter? Seminar, Minnesota Green Roofs Council, in St. Paul, MN.

–  March 6th-8th: NESEA Building Energy 12 Conference and Trade Show, in Boston, MA.

–  March 7th-8th: is the GREENPRINTS Conference & Trade Show, at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, in Atlanta, GA.

–  And also March 7th-8th: is GLOBALCON – Energy, Power, & Facility Management Strategies & Technologies, in Atlantic City, NJ.

– “In the News“

–  Clare Peddie of the Herald Sun, offers us “Living in the future: a glimpse of a zero-carbon home.” This home, that is to be built in South Australia, was designed as part of the Zero Carbon Challenge competition and features green walls covered in vines to cool the house in the summer and keep it warm in the winter.

Team Collaborative Future was one of the four finalists and wanted to take a different approach to shading, and the team’s lead architect, Brett Aylen, said “the vines are deciduous…in summer it’s going to be quite green, quite dense shade – then in winter it’s going to lose leaves so you get the winter sun.” The home will also feature solar panels, is set to begin construction mid-year, and you can follow the project at facebook.com/zerocarbonchallenge.

– Ben Martin of The Ecologist, reports on “Lofty ambitions: why green roofs are the future of urban gardening.” He asks, “run out of space in your garden? Look to higher ground and you’ll find an eco-friendly solution.” Greenroofs are becoming more popular across the world as more and more people are getting in the know and realizing the many benefits greenroofs have to offer. Sedum and plantation expert, Jim Blundell, lists a couple greenroof benefits: they provide a mini-habitat for birds, bugs, and butterflies, so you can have your own mini eco-system on your roof, and in urban areas where there isn’t a lot of green space, greenroofs can breathe some life back into that “concrete jungle.”

We know that greenroofs offer energy savings, reduce stormwater run-off, improve air quality, reduce the urban heat island effect, increase biodiversity and a roof’s lifespan. And Dusty Gedge, wildlife consultant, greenroof expert, and friend here at Greenroofs.com, added the benefit of the eye-pleasing qualities that beautiful flowers and plants can bring into our lives: he says, “people should view [them] as a sustainable measure, but also as a real life enhancement. The pleasure I get from it is huge.”

Building your own greenroof is no easy task, and does require research. But the benefits are worth the time and effort and we offer help for you to get started. You can visit our Projects Database to learn about specific projects all around the world and you can search our Greenroof Directory to find some manufacturers, suppliers, professional services, and more in your area to help you on your way.

–  To learn more about these stories and new ones posted daily, go to our In the News or Newslinks section of our website.

–   Send us your green articles, videos and images to  editor@greenroofs.com and share your greenroof or greenwall info with the world!

– Make sure to keep up with everything  Greenroofs.com by following us on  Twitter, liking us on  Facebook,  being a member of our network on  LinkedIn, and  subscribing to our  greenroofsTV channel on YouTube!

– This has been This Week in Review for March 2nd, 2012 on   GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velázquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by  The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by  Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

Stephen Ritz, South Bronx Educator/Administrator at TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” Tomorrow!

As I told you about last week when I introduced the “Greenroofs & Walls for Educational & Social Equity in the Bronx” video from our inaugural  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit featuring New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Robert Bieder, Jon Beuttler, Jess Dannhauser, Javier Lopez and Steve Ritz, Steve has the honor of speaking tomorrow at TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat”  at the Times Center in New York City.

I’m sure you’re all aware of the awesome speakers highlighted at the inspirational organization, TED!

“TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.” ~ TED

TEDx is an independently organized event and licensed by TED.  The TED Conference provides general guidance for  the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized:

“In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event.” ~ TEDx

In February of 2011, over 14,000 computers tuned in from locations all over the globe to watch the live simulcast of the first TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat.” Tomorrow, Saturday, January 21, 2012, the second TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” will explore the issues, the impacts and the innovations happening as we shift to a more sustainable way of eating and farming and help to create connections and unite different areas of the food movement.

The cool thing about this is that although it is a live, local event held in Manhattan, anyone with access to a computer can watch the webcast live at www.livestream.com/tedx from 10:30am – 5:15pm EST tomorrow, Saturday January 21st.

There’s a world-class line-up of speakers that is sure to inspire you (for a complete list, see here),  including:

“¢ Laurie David (Host), Environmental Activist, Producer, Author
“¢ Fred Kirschenmann, Farmer, Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, and President of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in NY
“¢ Mitchell Davis, Executive Vice President, the James Beard Foundation, cookbook author and food journalist
“¢ Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch
“¢ Gary Oppenheimer, Founder/Executive Director of AmpleHarvest.org, CNN Hero, Master Gardener,  Huffington Post 2011 Game Changer, winner of the 2011 Glynwood Wave of the Future Harvest Award
“¢ Dr. Robert S. Lawrence, Center for a Livable Future/Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
“¢ Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States
“¢ Dr. David Wallinga, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
“¢ Urvashi Rangan, Consumer Reports
“¢ and our extremely hardworking and passionate friend, Stephen Ritz, Educator/Administrator in the South Bronx.

 

Bronx teacher and administrator Stephen Ritz will be presenting the 245 slide BRONX based presentation entitled:  “Green Bronx Machine:  Growing Our Way Into A New Economy will focus on NYC DOE school children and THE GLORY AND BOUNTY OF BRONX COUNTY!!!”

This award winning program was recently cited in the December 2011 Issue of Principal Leadership: National Association of Secondary School Principals as one of five national exemplars of service learning, and continues to move the most disenfranchised and marginalized students from the poorest Congressional District in America into living wage career opportunities while harvesting minds and cultivating hope across the Bronx and NYC.

Once again, read about some of Steve’s outstanding work in our Sky Gardens blog post of January, 2011 by Caroline Menetre.

This sounds like a great opportunity for people around the world to connect online with each other (sounds like the mission of our  Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit!) about the sustainable food movement, which we know of course includes the amazing applications for growing food on rooftops and walls!  While the talks revolve around the speakers in NYC,  I’m sure we’ll all take away a great deal of information that we can apply to our own communities.

Happy greening in NYC and around the world!

~ Linda V.

Hope to See You @ CitiesAlive 2011 in Philly This Week!

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by, but it’s time again for the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities’  2011 Green Roof & Wall Conference – CitiesAlive 2011. Now in its 9th year, the gracious and increasingly green Philadelphia will be the host city on November 29 through December 3, 2011, held at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown.

Co-hosted by the City of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, CitiesAlive 2011 features over 50 expert design, policy, and research presentations, a trade show with the leaders of the green roof and wall industry, the Awards of Excellence, tours, and more!

This year the theme of the  Green Roofs for Healthy Cities‘ Green Roof and Wall Conference is “Restoring Urban Waters” and the City of Philadelphia  has committed to investing $2 billion in green infrastructure solutions to stormwater over the next twenty-five years.

Register here and Walk-in Registration is also welcome onsite!  Your Registration options include:

“¢ Full Delegate Pass: $549 / $449 (GRHC member rate), including:

o Access to all expert speaker sessions;
o Access to the trade show;
o Two cocktail receptions, two lunches, and breaks.

“¢ Best Value Package: $648 / $548 (GRHC member rate)

o Full Delegate Pass + Conference Recordings.

“¢ Full-Day Training Courses (Nov. 30): $449 / $375 (Delegate Rate)

o Green Roof Design 101: Introductory Course
o Green Roof Infrastructure: Design and Installation 201
o Green Roof Waterproofing and Drainage 301
o Green Roof Plants and Growing Media 401

“¢ Half-Day Training Courses (Nov. 30): $299 / $249 (Delegate Rate)

o Integrated Water Management for Buildings and Sites II: Case Studies in Performance (Launch!)
o Green Roof Policy Development Workshop
o Introduction to Rooftop Urban Agriculture
o Green Walls 101: Systems Overview and Design (2nd ed.)
o Advanced Green Roof Maintenance
o Integrated Design Workshop (Launch!)
o Integrated Water Management for Buildings and Sites

For more info on training courses, check out the CitiesAlive Detailed Agenda.  There are also these options:

“¢ One Day Pass (Dec. 1 or 2): $249
“¢ Student Pass: $99
“¢ Trade Show Pass: $45
“¢ And More!

Remember that Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is an approved provider of continuing education through LA CES, USGBC/GBCI, AIA CES and RCI.

We hope to see you this week in one of the many excellent tours, sessions, Networking Receptions, or on the Trade Show floor – for the first time since 2003 that we’ve been participating in CitiesAlive (formerly Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities), Greenroofs.com will not have a trade show booth.

After the success of our inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011, we’ve decided to go completely virtual!  Of course, since we are a website, we’re a virtual business anyway and all of our information for both readers and potential advertisers can be found online.

So you’ll see us strolling the Trade Show floor so we can visit with old friends and colleagues and get to know new ones, too.  For those of you looking forward to receiving your copy of our 2012 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Calendar, look for it by late next week!  We’ll let you know when it’s ready for holiday purchase.

If you’ll be at CitiesAlive this week, make sure to attend Haven Kiers and my session for our awesome “2011 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design” this Friday, December 2 at the 2:30 – 4:00 pm Session 6 – “6D – From Spiders to Goats: More Extraordinary Projects and Top International Trends” in the INDEPENDENCE CD room.  We’ll be inbetween the lovely Angie Durhman of Tecta America and Louise Clarke of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.

Aramis and I will also be taking in two of the tours here – the Center City Section on Wednesday and Greening the Corporate Campus – Sustainability at Work on Saturday.

See you in Philly, the City of Brotherly Love!

~ Linda V.

GreenRoofs Australasia’s Greening Cities Conference 2011 in Sydney

In case you haven’t already heard, GreenRoofs Australasia (GRA)  invites you to attend their 5th National  Conference in Sydney on November 9 – 12, 2011.

GreenRoofs Australasia

GRA is the peak body for the promotion and dissemination of information on greenroof and greenwall best practice, design, research and technology.  GRA is presenting an impressive list of international and national speakers to educate professionals, academics, councillors, planners, trades and homeowners at this 5th National Conference.

Supported by the City of Sydney, Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Landscape Contractors Australia, Engineers Australia, Nursery & Gardens Industry of Australia, GBCA, “Greening Cities” was chosen as the theme for the conference in order to incorporate many disciplines which are all linked to vegetated systems for urban development.

The primary focus is on greenroof and greenwall systems for the built environment, with the inclusion of the “101 Greenroof Training Workshop”(receiving 4 Formal CPD points from AIA, AILA GBCA), project case studies, research studies, policy outlines, advances in technology and future perspectives on greening cities.

GRA received backing support from the City of Sydney and the National Conference will be held at the  Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour.   The new  City of Sydney  Head of Planning, Graham Jahn, will present the 2030 Vision for Sydney and set the theme for Greening Cities.

“Planting on roofs and walls is one of the most innovative, sustainable and rapidly developing disciplines in architecture, landscape design, urban environmental planning, ecology and horticulture.

As the peak body for the green roof & green wall industry in Australasia we are proud to present a distinguished list of leading international & national authorities in their disciplines to present recent projects, design technology, research data and a positive vision for a future of green cities in harmony with nature as a partner.” ~  Greening Cities Conference website

Organizers say it has been their endeavor to provide delegates with a broad international perspective covering Policy / Greenwalls / Greenroofs / Design / Installation / Plant Specifications / and Iconic Projects.

The 4 day  Greening Cities  conference will offer:

November 9:  101 Greenroof Training Workshop (Formal CPD Points)
November 10:   Plenary Conference (AIA, AILA informal points)
November 11:  Plenary Conference
November 12:  Greenroof / Wall Tour of Sydney

International Keynotes

International keynote speakers include Patrick Blanc from Paris, France: Botanist, Author, Environmental Designer of ‘The Vertical Garden’; Dusty Gedge of London, UK: President European Federation of Green Roof Associations, Author, Green Roof Designer; Bruce Hemstock of Vancouver, B.C. Canada: Principal Landscape Architect, Project Manager, PWL Partners P/L Vancouver; and Charles Sinkler of Boston, USA: Principal, Apex Greenroofs.

National Keynotes

Graham Jahn, Architect, Director City Planning for the City of Sydney and  Chris Johnson, the former NSW Government Architect and former Executive Director of the NSW Department of Planning.

Distinguished Speakers

Hon Tom Roper, Warwick Savvas, Rachel Neeson and Sue Barnsley, Mark Paul, Toby Adams and Jason Duda, Graeme Hopkins, Graham Cleary, John Potter, Dr. Khaled Dewidar, Todd Layt, Penelope Smith, Renee Davies, Robyn Simcock, Robert Griffith, and  Sidonie Carpenter.

Read about all of the speakers here.

Here’s another wonderful conference we won’t be able to make this year – perhaps the next time!  We know it’s going to be awesome with the lovely Sidonie Carpenter, GreenRoofs Australasia President, and the entertaining Matthew Dillon,  GreenRoofs Australasia Vice President and Conference Chairman leading the charge.

If you attended our inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011, I know you enjoyed Matt‘s lively presentation “GreenRoofs in Australasia.”

Again, if you’re going, we invite you to write about it and share your visit with the Greenroofs.com readership.

For complete conference information, and to register visit www.greenroofsaustralasia.com.au.

Happy travels Down Under!

Linda V.

GPW: 8 House (8 Tallet)

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 8/29/11
8 House (8 Tallet)
Copenhagen, Denmark
18,300 sf. Greenroof

Year: 2010
Owner: St. Frederikslund Holding
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Building Type: Multi-Use
Type: Extensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 18,300 sq.ft.
Slope: 62.5%
Access: Inaccessible, Private


Project Description & Details

8 House (Tallet in Danish) is a 61,000 m2 bowtie-shaped mixed-use building of three different types of residential housing and 10,000 m2 of retail and offices which comprise Denmark’s largest private development ever undertaken. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the 8 House sits on the outer edge of the city as the southernmost outpost of Ørestad. Rather than a traditional block, the 8 House stacks all ingredients of a lively urban neighborhood into horizontal layers of typologies connected by a continuous promenade and cycling path up to the 10th floor creating a three-dimensional urban neighborhood where suburban life merges with the energy of a big city, where business and housing co-exist.

With spectacular views towards the Copenhagen Canal and over Kalvebod Fælled’s protected, open spaces, 8 House not only offers residences to people in all of life’s stages as well as office spaces to the city’s business and trade – it also serves as a house that allows people to bike all the way from the ground floor to the top, moving alongside townhouses with gardens winding through an urban perimeter block. Two sloping green roofs totaling 1,700 m2 are strategically placed to reduce the urban heat island effect as well as provide the visual identity to the project and tying it back to the adjacent farmlands towards the south.

Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Contractor: Hopfner Partners
Civil Engineer: Moe & Brødsgaard
Roofing Contractor: Uldum Tag ApS
Roof Decks: Skandek Tagelementfabrik A/S
Pre-vegetated Mat Greenroof System: Veg Tech A/S
Partner-In-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen, Bjarke Ingels Group
Project Leader: Ole Elkjaer-Larsen, Henrick Poulsen, Bjarke Ingels Group
Project Manager: Finn Norkjaer, Henrik Lund, Bjarke Ingels Group

Additional Info

With offices in Copenhagen and New York City, the Danish architects of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) describe themselves as “architects, designers, and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research, and development.” Known for some truly spectacular work, this young firm has definitely been pushing our comfort zones by playing with shapes and forms and redefining space. BIG’s founder, the creative and energetic Bjarke Ingels, leads their approach of Hedonistic Sustainability which “helps cities adapt to tomorrow’s challenges and why sustainable future doesn’t need to involve sacrifice” through his design philosophy and as a TED and keynote speaker at conferences and universities worldwide.

8 House has received plenty of national and international attention.  Last month, 8 House was selected as a finalist for the 2011 World Architecture Festival Award in the Housing and Future projects category.  The winners will be announced at the annual WAF festival which takes place in Barcelona on November 2-4, 2011.

While attending the opening of a Global Green Growth Institute in Copenhagen this past May, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark were treated to a guided tour of 8 House by Bjarke Ingels.

Last December, 2010, Huffington Post selected 8 House as one of “the ten most-meaningful architecture moments from an exceptionally topsy-turvy decade.”  Read Jacob Slevin’s 10 Best Architecture Moments of 2001-2010.

Located in the Ørestad area of Copenhagen, 8 House was slated to be the first in a collection of buildings to push development in this outskirt neighborhood of wide open fields and pastureland.

BIG says 8 House was partly inspired by classic townhouses as well as “the open, democratic nature of functionalistic architecture.”

The undeniably unique, long, multi-sloped house has immense differences in height which the architects feel “create a strong inflow of light and a unique local community with small gardens and pathways that channel your thoughts into mountains in Southern Europe and memories of a childhood home.”

At a cost of 92,000,000 Euros, its base consists of 10,000 m2 of businesses spread out at street level alongside the surrounding main streets and at the northern courtyard that houses an office building.  The building’s housing program offers 476 residences with three kinds of accommodation varying in area from 65 to 144 m2: apartments for rent, and penthouses and townhouses for purchase.

“The different housing typologies are united by the exterior dimensions which provide inspiration for adventures, inspiring communities.” ~ BIG

Where the 8- or bow-shaped structure meets, two distinct spaces were created, separated by this center of the bow which hosts the communal facilities of 500 m2. BIG says, “At the very same spot, the building is penetrated by a 9 meter wide passage that connects the two surrounding city spaces: the park area to the west and the channel area to the east.

“Instead of dividing the different functions of the building – for both habitation and trades – into separate blocks, the various functions have been spread out horizontally.  The apartments are placed at the top while the commercial programme unfolds at the base of the building.  As a result, the different horizontal layers have achieved a quality of their own: the apartments benefit from the view, sunlight and fresh air, while the office leases merge with life on the street.  This is basically emphasized by the shape of 8 House which is literally ‘hoisted up’ in the North East corner and ‘squeezed down’ at the South West corner, allowing light and air to enter the courtyard in the middle.”

“This is our take on creative, experimental architecture, which surprises and calls for a life based on a sense of community. We have actually elevated the shared facilities around the height axis, so that gardens, trees and the system of paths follow the body of the structure all the way to the roof. On the rooftop, eleven stories up, these shared spaces culminate in a combined ‘mountain path’ and rooftop garden. From here, you can enjoy the view of Kalvebod Fælled’s nature resort.” ~ Bjarke Ingels.

Originally, the entire roof of 8 House was designed as a continuous greenroof, with pre-vegetated mats from Veg Tech A/S used on the extensive 60+% slope portions and recreational intensive roof gardens planned atop the flat areas.

Yet, because of the economic climate and budgetary restrictions, only the lower sloped portions were greened. Here’s 8 House under construction:

Here are a couple of great views of the greenroofs as they meet:

Referring to the greenroofs, Kai-Uwe Bergmann AIA, RIBA, MAA, LEED AP and BIG Partner, Director Business Development says, “Our design called for the entire roof area but the flat areas were cut due to the financial crisis and ensuing financing difficulties – so the other portions were sacrificed.  But it’s even amazing that the building was built at all these past three years.”

Aramis and I met Kai-Uwe last November when we both spoke at the International Skyrise Greenery Conference in Singapore – his presentation most definitely had the wow factor!  He started with the eye-catching, frenetic “Yes is More” video highlighting the young firm itself plus some of its equally eye-catching projects, including 8 House.

By the way, BIG’s “Archicomic Yes is More is World’s 1st Architectural Monograph” is available as an iPad app featuring loads of bonus material, including 25 integrated videos and animations, updates of 8 House and the Danish Expo Pavilion and three new projects not available in the printed version.  You can download it on iTunes here.

Greenroofs.com‘s Design Editor, Haven Kiers, and I have selected 8 House to represent our perennial #10 Category in our 2011 Top 10 List of Hot Design Trends in Greenroof & Greenwall Design: Client Specific ‘Boutique’ Greenroofs.  We’ll be inaugurating the 2011 Top 10 List at this month’s inaugural Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit 2011.

8 House is unique not only because it reduces the urban heat island effect with its cool courtyards, planted trees at entrances, container plantings on the balconies, and 18,300-square foot greenroofs, but the living roofs visually connect back to its pre-construction site on the prairie fields, creating a true sense of ‘genius loci’ or spirit of place.

So, ultimately, the dramatic greenroofed “V” of 8 House blends the iconic Danish structure beautifully with the original natural site and sets it off against the reflecting water of Copenhagen Canal:

Certainly, the sloped V roof line is as dramatic in a sunless, snow-covered winter landscape…

…as on a warm summer’s evening as seen from across the water:

Watch a video of Bjarke Ingels of BIG as he introduces you to his office and how their conceptual designs morph into reality with teamwork, including 8 House, below:

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!  Click here to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.  See how you can submit yours here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.

GPW: BCIT Green Roof Research Facility

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 8/8/11
BCIT Green Roof Research Facility
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
1,065 sf. Greenroof

Year: 2003
Owner: Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology
Location: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Building Type: Educational
Type: Extensive, Test/Research
System: Custom
Size: 1,065 sq.ft.
Slope: 2%
Access: Accessible, By Appointment

Project Description & Details

In response to a 2002 stakeholder workshop held in Vancouver, the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) designed a dedicated Green Roof Research Facility with the support from a consortium of regional government, organizations, industry associations, and material suppliers. Commissioned in 2003, phase 1 (2002-2007) quantified green roof performance for stormwater mitigation, membrane durability and thermal efficiency in the climate of coastal BC. Phase 2 phase (2007-2010) expanded research themes to embrace acoustics, living walls, biodiversity, and materials research.

The Green Roof Research Facility has three independent roof surfaces – one reference roof and two green roofs – each with their own weather poles to measure climatic parameters. The green roof on the east side (GR1) has 75mm (3″) growing medium, while GR2 on the west side has 150 mm (6″). The reference roof is in the middle. In addition to researching stormwater source control and thermal performance of green roofs, the Centre also conducts product performance testing, serves for demonstration, and offers research-based education and training across disciplines. The Centre was built with the help of over 200 students from BCITs polytechnic stream, including the Architectural and Building Engineering Technology program, Carpentry, Structural Drafting, Steel Fabrication, Electrical, Electronics, Sheet Metal, Plumbing, Millwork and Finishing.


Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Architect: Randy Knill Architects
Greenroof Designers/Consultants: Maureen Connelly and Students, BCIT Department of Architectural and Building Engineering
General Contractor: BCIT Facilities Management
Engineer: for structural, electrical, and mechanical systems, Earth Tech Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architect: Cornelia Hahn Oberlander
Roofing Subtrade: Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia and industry partners

Additional Info

Located within the School of Construction and the Environment at the  British Columbia Institute of Technology, the BCIT Centre  for Architectural Ecology (Previously known as the BCIT Centre for Advancement of Green Roof Technology or CAGRT)    is evaluating the function and performance of extensive greenroofs and living walls in the rainforest climate of coastal B.C with their Green Roof Research Facility (GRRF).   Through collaborations with industry, government and academic partners, their vision is to help advance the widespread adoption of these technologies in this region.

“The mission of the BCIT Centre for Architectural Ecology – Collaborations in Green Roofs and Living Walls is to conduct world-class, innovative research on green roof and living wall systems and to provide research-based education across disciplines, to students and practitioners.”

The BCIT Centre for Architectural Ecology conducts applied research that uses more than 500 channels of live data on green roofs and five weather stations in Vancouver and Victoria.  This research is used by architects, industry partners, policy-makers and professional builders.

As Canada’s premier polytechnic institution, the British Columbia Institute of Technology supports the advancement of the greenroof industry in western Canada through leading edge curriculum programming developed by the Centre for Architectural Ecology in the School of Construction and the Environment.  They are committed to improving public awareness of greenroof and greenwall systems through education and demonstration, both locally and globally.

The Centre integrates its research and technology transfer through its diploma and degree programs, as well as academic collaborations, and professional development for the design and architecture communities.  They have many courses in both greenroofs and living walls, see their courses page for the current schedule.

The team includes many fantastic people, but Maureen Connelly, B.Sc., B.E.D.S., M.Arch., MAIBC is the Director and  BCIT Project Manager, as well as Faculty, and has been the leading force behind the  the Centre for Architectural Ecology and a true greenroof champion.

“Combining a science background with a professional affiliation as an architect, Maureen Connelly developed the vision, oversaw the construction and instrumentation, and continues to direct the strategic research planning process at the Centre.  Maureen’s initial research focused on the architectural and planning impact of green roofs, which led to the Phase 1 research program.” ~ BCIT

If you want to see their early research, make sure you look at the Phase 1 document above, it’s full of detailed information with numerous research graphics and photos of the site  including  construction, plants, and people.

The BCIT GRRF features two green roof sections separated by parapets and a non-green reference roof (REF).  Both green roof systems include a  root barrier, non-reservoir drainage board and independent filter cloth, and the same growing medium composition consisting of 1⁄3 white pumice, 1⁄3 sand and 1⁄3 organic compost.

Green Roof 1 (GR-1) contained 75 mm of growing medium planted with sedum species  while Green Roof 2 (GR-2) contained 150 mm of growing medium planted with a mix of fescues and grasses.  The roof sections were fully instrumented to measure stormwater runoff characteristics and energy efficiency. Compare the roof from initially planted below in 2003 and then two years later in 2005:

The roof was monitored and performance data were  collected for one full year (January 1 to December 31, 2005).  The plants were fully established during this period.  Also see the November 2006 Technical Series 06-106 “West Coast Green Roof Performance at BCIT’s Green Roof Research Facility” from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which is a condensed version of the BCIT  Phase 1 research program report.

“The first year of observation showed that, in the temperate climate of Vancouver, a green roof system with appropriate plant species in 75 mm of growing medium can provide a similar level of stormwater mitigation and thermal benefits as a green roof system with 150 mm of growing medium. The preliminary findings suggested that buildings in Vancouver could benefit from lighter weight extensive green roof systems to realize the goals of stormwater retention and reduction of  thermal extremes.  A second phase of study will look at stormwater.” ~  West Coast Green Roof Performance at BCIT’s Green Roof Research Facility

The BCIT Green Roof Research Facility weather pole is shown above, including solar radiation sensor, relative humidity and temperature transmitter, and thermocouples followed by the cross-section of their roofing system showing principal components and location of various sensors.

The BCIT Technology Centre designed and built the  tipping bucket flow measurement system:

Below are two photos of the individual Roofing Evaluation Modules (REMs) at ground level at different times of the year and from different perspectives: one from the ground and one as seen from the roof of the adjacent Research Facility.

From 2006-2008, Christine  Thuring, our Student Editor,  was an adjunct  researcher at BCIT’s Centre for the  Advancement of Green Roof Research and involved in the research there (and is available for collaboration on special projects) – see her in the flowering summer shot below, pointing up:

In late July 2008, the BCIT Centre for Advancement of Green Roof Technology began a 2-year research project in partnership with Quad-Lock Building Systems, Ltd. The goal of this research was to provide objective data on the performance of various green roof structures.  Utilizing Quad-Lock’s Insulating Concrete Forms and Quad-Deck products, this Roofing Evaluation Module (REM) was the first all-concrete test structure at BCIT’s CAGRT.  This new REM was placed alongside wood frame REM structures that incorporate both green and conventional roofs.

Phase 3  commenced  in 2007, figures not included here in this profile, and include various sites at  BCIT’s Burnaby Campus which encompassed: instrumenting the 1,700 M2 (18,000 sf) extensive greenroof on the Electronic Arts (EA) Motion Capture Studio to monitor and evaluate stormwater runoff and membrane temperatures; calibrating and monitoring  the 135 M2  (1,450 sf)  White Rock Operations Building extensive green roof for its effectiveness as a stormwater source control tool; and the Elevated Research Platform (ERP), below.

This 1,300 M2  (14,000 sf) structure at BCIT Burnaby campus covers the carpentry students’ working area and hosts a replicated experiment trialing native Alpine plants in various substrate treatments.  Read more about all of Phase 3  here.

Watch Maureen on another Burnaby roof about to get greened in the short 1:27 “Snow and Safety Vests” Green Roofs at BCIT video from March 2009 below from YouTube.  She talks about getting ready to place the growing media and the monitoring of ambient weather data:

 

The BCIT Centre for Architectural Ecology has a long history of researching greenroofs and greenwalls with a deep commitment to the Vancouver, B.C. area and last year,  along with Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, it co-hosted the  eighth annual Cities Alive 2010 Conference.  Maureen led the expert panel session “Taking Green Roofs and Walls to the Next Level in British Columbia – A Pathway to the Future!”

Maureen and BCIT are truly pioneers in greenroof technology, and if you have a chance to visit them and their  Green Roof Research Facility, you’ll certainly enjoy it! The    BCIT  Centre  for Architectural Ecology  offers Green Roof Tours which will commence again next month in September, so check their  website later for details.

“Rooftops are the untapped real estate opportunity of the 21st century. Green roofs provide tremendous benefits to the building owner, the local community, and the global community.” ~  Maureen Connelly, BCIT CAE GRRF Director and Faculty

Did we miss something? We’d love to hear from you! Click here to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database. See how you can submit yours here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.

Greenroofs.com”™s “This Week in Review” on GreenroofsTV: August 5, 2011

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 August 5, 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, August 5th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

– Our project of the week is the  ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall built in 1994 in Fukuoka, Japan – and it’s one of the earliest contemporary examples of creating living architecture with plants within the greenroof & Wall industry!  Architect Emilio Ambasz designed a 100,000-square-meter park in the city center onto 15 stepped terraces of the ACROS, or “Asian Crossroads Over the Sea,” building. Underneath the park’s fifteen one-story terraces is over one million square feet of multipurpose space with an exhibition hall, a museum, a 2,000-seat proscenium theater, conference facilities, governmental and private offices, and several underground levels of parking and retail space. Along the edge of the park, the building steps up, floor-by-floor, in an arrangement of low, landscaped terraces. Each terrace floor contains an assortment of gardens for meditation, relaxation, and escape from the congestion of the city, while the top terrace becomes a grand beautiful view of the bay of Fukuoka and the surrounding mountains. A stepped series of reflecting pools on the terraces are connected by upwardly spraying jets of water, to create a ladder-like climbing waterfall to cover-up the ambient noise of the city beyond.

– To learn more about the ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall  , click on our project of the week photo on our homepage.

“What’s New“

–   There are only 5 days left to pre-register for our Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011 – Connecting the Planet + Living Architecture: People, Projects & Design. Pre-register by August 10th and to be eligible to win an iPad2!  If you want to know the latest news about the event search for #virtualsummit2011 on Twitter.

–  Industry News:    The Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed an ordinance adopting changes to the Land Development Code sponsored by Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh. The changes also encourage builders & developers to orient their buildings to account for the sun, reduce energy used on lighting and to reduce surface water runoff by using green roofs or adding open space.

–   Joblinks Update:    Apex Green Roofs is seeking a Green Roof Installer for a job position in Somerville, Massachusetts.

–   Head over to the Sky Gardens blog to read Linda’s latest posts: “GGW Virtual Summit 2011: Connecting with Content!,” “Go Green with Greenroofs and Patrick Carey!” where Patrick, who’s one of our contributing editors here, is interviewed, “Greenroofs.com’s “˜This Week in Review’ on GreenroofsTV: July 29th, 2011,” and our GPW.

– “Upcoming Events“

–   August 7th: is the Salt Spring’s Eco-Living and Home Tour in Salt Springs Island, British Columbia, Canada.

–   August 7th-10th: is GovEnergy 2011 – The Premier Energy Training Workshop and Trade Show for Federal Agencies in Cincinnati, Ohio.

–   August 7th-12th: is the 96th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Austin, Texas.

–   And, as you should know by now, August 23rd & 24th: is our Greenroofs & Walls of the World Virtual Summit 2011 held online around the world!

–   And check out our homepage for more Upcoming Events!

– “In the News“

–   Dean Fosdick of the nwitimes.com says “”˜Living walls’ are a great backdrops for floral tapestry.” Landscaper Darien Ball built a living wall to highlight the Tiffany stained-glass lamp exhibit at the Biltmore Estate this summer with colorful vegetation. The vertical garden has 6 by 24 feet floral tapestry panels and was made with a plant-by-numbers system. The colors are those of butterflies, tree branches and dragonflies, all staples of the Tiffany lamps, windows, vases and bowls that were created for the wealthy in the late 19th century. Lorrie Baird, a senior gardener who cares for another living wall at Longwood Gardens says that gardeners can create their own living walls at home. There are kits with planters, water barriers, pumps and soaker hoses are available via the Internet.

–   Melissa Jenco of TribLocal reports on “Library installs green rooftop.” The Gail Borden Public Library planted a message of sustainability that will help to absorb rainwater, produce oxygen and provide extra insulation for its building. Due to the added layer of insulation, director of marketing, development and communications, Denise Raleigh said the library expects some energy savings and that they will be happy with any kind of savings, even if its small, because they see themselves as a kind of a leader or partner in sustainability in Elgin, Illinois. For a first hand view, library goers can see the greenery from Studio 270 or the Literacy Connection or they can also ask a member of the communication staff at the administration office on the second floor to check it out.

– 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.

– Stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Greenroofs.com by subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and being a member of our network on LinkedIn.

– This has been This Week in Review for August 5th, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something? We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

GPW: SeQuentials Biofueling Retail Station

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 5/16/11
SeQuential’s Biofueling Retail Station
Eugene, OR, USA
1,900  sf. Greenroof

Year: 2006
Owner: SeQuential Biofuels
Location: Eugene, OR, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive
System: Custom
Size: 1,900 sq.ft.  
Slope: 17%
Access: Inaccessible, Private

Project Description & Details

SeQuential is an innovative company that produces fuel for vehicles predominately from off season farming of canola oil and agricultural and industry waste.  Completed in September, 2006, the SeQuential Biofuel Station is a demonstration in realistic, feasible, and sustainable technologies featuring examples of real world solutions that reduce energy usage and impacts on local water quality.  These features include solar panels on the fuel pump canopies, passive solar design of the convenience store, and a vegetated roof that is part of a site-stormwater system including bioswales and a detention pond.

The living roof contains over 4,800 individual plants in 5 inches of growing media. The layer of plants and engineered soil reflects sunshine and acts as insulation, keeping the interior building space cooler during the summer months.  In addition to being project managers, Habitats, Inc. staff designed the fuel station site plan, landscape and stormwater features, and designed, installed and planted the vegetated roof.  They researched available grant funding, explored LEED certification and worked with local and state planners to secure permits for the project.

Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Site and Landscape Design & Green Roof Design and Installation:
Sarah Whitney, Habitats, Inc.
Architect: Susan Hill, Tate Hill Jacobs
Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical: Solarc Architecture and Engineering
Solar Array Design and Installation: Weber Elliott Engineers
Transportation and Sanitation Planning: Branch Engineering
General Contractor: Pacific Northwest Environmental
Solar Array Design and Installation: Vince McClellan, Energy Design
Site Remediation: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Additional Info

SeQuential Biofuels is a Portland fuel company born in a Eugene garage in 2000 when co-founders Ian Hill and Tomas Endicott were home-brewing biodiesel, and in 2006 became the first all-biofuel station in the Northwest, and eco-friendly to boot.  And it was a huge help that Ian’s mother, Susan Hill of Tate Hill Jacobs, was the architect.

“It is our mission to lead the renewable fuels movement in the Pacific Northwest by expanding the awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of domestically produced biofuels.    It is our vision to offer retail options and promote quality sustainable fuel alternatives to answer consumer’s growing demand for choice. It is our goal to see biofuel regionally produced and regionally consumed.” ~  SeQuential Biofuels

Today, SeQuential’s Biofueling Retail Station is a mixed-use  property that provides biodiesel fuels to a growing fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles but in 2005, along with other programs, SeQuential used an EPA brownfield cleanup grant – the first of this type – to remediate the former gas station.

Many participants were involved, including Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), SeQuential Biofuels, U.S. EPA Region 10, Lane County Property Management, Lane County Board of Commissioners, Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, and the Oregon Department of Energy.  Also known as the “Lane County – Sequential  Biofuels Project,” in 2007 it received the Phoenix Award Special Recognition for Energy Innovation.  Read about the award and  their huge efforts here.

The station offers  five blends of biofuels: E10, E85 (bioethanol), B5, B20, and B99 (biodiesel)- the numbers after “E and B” indicate the percentage mix of ethanol to gasoline, and biodiesel to petroleum diesel, respectively.  A  33.6 kilowatt BIPV canopy with 224 solar modules (some with clear backing to allow the sunlight to shine through)  shelters the pumps, providing up to half of the station’s electricity.  The convenience store design takes advantage of passive solar heat and lighting to reduce energy needs and according to the customers, one of the biggest attractions of the store is the selection of products sold inside the Biofuels Station: a 60-40 mix of natural and conventional foods which include fair-trade coffee, natural sodas, and seasonal organic produce.

“Most people’s perceptions of gas stations are that they are dirty, dingy places, but that’s not always true.” ~ Ian Hill, co founder of SeQuential Biofuels in  Biodiesel Magazine

Obviously, that’s not the case here!  And because the station is just 1,000 feet from the Willamette River, concerns with runoff were great.  The extensive living roof is highly visible with its 2:12 roof slope and is  planted with a mix of Oregon species of low-growing succulents, bulbs for seasonal colors, and wildflowers.  Working in tandem with the greenroof are the vegetated bioswales to further intercept runoff as well as capture pollution and silt.

And educational signage informs the visiting public of the many eco features:

Continuing their  commitment to cleaner energy, SeQuential Biofuels added a second station in Portland, Oregon, utilizing a sizable grant from the City of Portland. Oregon’s biodiesel industry has benefited greatly from a wide array of tools and incentives to foster the development of a robust local biofuels market, including Portland’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). As in the case of greenroofs – or ecoroofs –  Portland is a leader in this arena, too, by creating this market mover.  City leaders believe that biofuels offer promising benefits for both Portland and Oregon as whole, including: local and regional economic development opportunities; improved air quality; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and decreased dependence on volatile oil supplies.

Currently, the RFS requires that all diesel fuel sold in the city as well as the entire state contain a minimum of 5% biodiesel or B5 (and that all gasoline contain a minimum of 10% ethanol, E10) – the first city in the U.S. to do so.  A proposed  City of Portland standard for all biofuel to contain a minimum blend of 10% biodiesel (B10) effective mid 2010 was temporarily suspended by the Portland City Council due to economic and technical circumstances, so it has reverted to B5 for now.  All of the biodiesel sold in the City of Portland must meet  ASTM quality standards.

Biodiesel costs about 50 cents more per gallon than petroleum diesel, but is renewable and better for the environment.  When burned, the fuel produces less carbon dioxide than petroleum and is made in part from recycled materials.  Putting their money where their mouth is, the Portland Water Bureau’s own fleet has used B20, B50 and B99 blends for a few years, which has been a huge incentive for providers like SeQuential Biofuels.

Read more from SeQuential Biofuels here, including the list of awards, and see the case study and more photos  from the designers of the living roof and other stormwater features, Habitats, Inc.,  here.

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!  Click  here to see more information about this project in  The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.  See how you can submit yours  here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.

Greenroofs.com’s “This Week in Review” on GreenroofsTV: April 1st, 2011

Our daughter, Anjuli, has been writing, filming and editing our “This Week in Review” video since August, 2010 and each week you can expect to learn What’s New here on Greenroofs.com.   Here’s the transcript for April 1, 2011 –  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 April 1st, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.

– Project of the Week

–   Our projects of the week are the Cheyenne I and III (251 & 253 Medical Center Blvd.), greenroofs built in 2007 and 2009 in Webster, Texas.   Developer and General Contractor, Jacob White Construction Company, wanted the buildings to stand apart from all other commercial buildings in the Houston area.   And they did just that when 251 East became the first LEED Gold certified building that side of Austin and 253 West gained LEED-CS Platinum certification in 2009.   The most impressive and ambitious part of these projects are the greenroofs complete with gardens, walking paths, and a lush landscaped area.   On September 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike went across the site as a strong Category 2 hurricane with 120+ mph winds and 11 inches of rain, yet there was no impact on the green roof nor the building.   In both cases, Webb Architects designed a custom system using EnkaRetain & Drain from Colbond with a locally designed growing media mix – the material cost savings alone was in the neighborhood of $250,000 each.   Approximately 73% of all rain water is retained, while the excess is transported to the roof drains that direct it to underground cisterns for storage and that reclaimed water is used for everything from irrigating the grounds to flushing the toilets.

–   To learn more about the Cheyenne I and Cheyenne III greenroofs, click on our project of the week  links on our homepage.

–   “What’s New“

–   Advertiser Press Release:   Metro Green Visions introduces MGV GroRoof Hybrid Green Roof System. MGV GroRoof, a new modular green roof system, is poised to make a strong impact in the marketplace, offering the best of both worlds, it installs like a modular tray system but functions and appears like a monolithic extensive green roof.

–   The American Horticultural Society is pleased to announce that Ed Snodgrass is the 2011 recipient of the G.B. Gunlogson Award.   The award is one of 12 Great American Gardeners Awards that the AHS presents annually to individuals, organizations, and businesses that represent the best in American gardening.   Congrats to Ed, co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms and our very own contributing editor of the “Ask Ed“ Plant Column here on Greenroofs.com!

– Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce the results of its 2011 Annual Industry Survey of Corporate Members which found that the greenroof industry grew by 28.5% over the course of 2010, which was up significantly from the 16% growth recorded in 2009!  The City of Chicago was #1, with Washington D.C. #2 in the Annual Top Ten U.S. Cities List.

–   Read our latest guest feature contributing editor blog post on Sky Gardens by Christine Thuring, “EcoBuild London (March 2011).”   Christine talks about the world’s largest sustainable construction fair, the biggest EcoBuild yet with over 50,000 visitors, over 1,300 suppliers and more than 130 free seminar sessions feazturing over 600 speakers.

–   (Check out Linda’s latest Sky Gardens Blog post about the “GPW: Cheyenne I and III (251 & 253 Medical Center Blvd.)” which has info on research data for the buildings.

–   Joblinks Update:    ZinCo USA is looking for two Regional Account Managers for Architectural/Contractor Green Roof Sales. One is located in Boston, MA and the other on in Philadelphia, PA.   Go to greenroofs.com/joblinks.htm  to apply to these jobs and check out our other Green Roof Jobs postings.    Go to greenroofs.com/joblinks.htm to apply to these jobs and check out our other Green Roof Jobs postings.

–   Industry News: New “Design Guidelines and Maintenance Manual for Green Roofs in the Semi-Arid and Arid West“ are released.  The guidelines are a collaboration of the University of Colorado Denver, City and County of Denver, Green Print Denver and the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.

–   “Upcoming Events“

–   April 4th & 5th: is the Rooftop Rainforest TV programme featuring Dusty Gedge, which will be broadcast on Sky 1 HD in the UK.

–  April 5th: is a Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition: One Day Training Workshop in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada.

–  April 6th – 7th: is Water & Environment 2011, CIWEM’s Annual Conference in London, United Kingdom.

–  April 7th & 12th: is Designing with Nature – Compost BMP Design Webinar for Green Infrastructure and LID.

–  April 7th – 12th: is RCI – 26th International Convention and Trade Show in Reno, Nevada.

–  And on April 8th – 9th: is Green Build Cornwall in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

–   “In the News“

–   Ross Dulmaine of IBTimes reports on “Green roof uberwork: Bjarke Ingels’ M2 House.”   He says “from a distance the M2 house looks like just another little rolling hill.   Approach more closely and you find a modern, subtly camouflaged residence whose roof is covered in beautiful, easy to maintain sedum.”   Located in Denmark, the home was designed to blend into its rural surroundings and one side features huge, light-infusing glass sections which provide plenty of natural light to the living and kitchen areas.   Check out the article on IBTimes for some more beautiful photos.

–   Sandy Hingston of Philly Mag’s The Philly Post invites you to “Build A Green-Roof Birdhouse.”   In Longwood Gardens, she took a birdhouse-making class with the most cutting-edge architectural design: a green roof.   Longwood has been experimenting with bluebird houses in its fields for years hoping to attract more but with local summers heating up, eggs were reaching boiling points inside these birdhouses.   Green roofs create a heat differential that aids airflow and reduces interior temperatures.   The sedums used were specially grown at Ed Snodgrass‘  Emory Knoll Farms in Street, Maryland where he focuses on perennial green-roof plants that can stay outdoors year-round.

–   Jeffrey Tomich of stltoday.com asks “Five Questions with green roofer Kelly Luckett.”  He talks about how Kelly Luckett, president of Green Roof Blocks, is taking back one rooftop at a time in St. Louis.   Kelly explains that there are many benefits to green roofs: they soak up about half of the storm water that would otherwise run off into gutters, they keep rooftops cooler, saving energy in the buildings underneath and they provide a habitat for bees, butterflies and birds.   Be sure to visit this article to read Kelly’s answers to questions like how he got into the green roof business, how green roofs are priced and what’s next for Greenroofs.com’s “Green Roof Guy.”

–   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.

–   Stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Greenroofs.com by subscribing to our greenroofsTV channel on YouTube, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook and being a member of our network on LinkedIn.

–   Coming Soon: Stayed tuned for our latest Sky Gardens – Greenroofs of the World episode, The Cook+Fox Architects Office in Manhattan, New York!

–   This has been This Week in Review for April 1st, 2011 on GreenroofsTV.  I’m Anjuli Velazquez and I’ll see you next week!

*This week’s episode is sponsored by The Greenroof Directory, brought to you by Greenroofs.com.*

Did we miss something?   We’d love to hear from you!

~ Linda V.

EcoBuild London (March 2011)

From March 1-3, the London ExCeL hosted the world’s largest sustainable construction fair. It was the biggest EcoBuild yet, with over 50,000 visitors, over 1,300 suppliers, and more than 130 free seminar sessions featuring over 600 speakers.

Mate and verdant conversation with Roberto Ollett

I went with some colleagues for a day, and everyone agreed that the size of the show was nearly unmanageable, both in terms of time availability and mental/ physical endurance. Fortunately, my colleague Roberto Ollett of Eudaimon shared some of his newly acquired (yerba) mate with me, which is very high in caffeine.

Having won the Bristol City Council Public Art & Urban Regeneration commission, Eudaimon is radically reinterpreting the meaning of ‘public art’ by creating a site that will engage biodiversity, urban ecology and community involvement to a derelict part of Bristol. See website for more info. How perfect to share a social beverage (from South America) while discussing a collaboroative socio-ecological greening project!

Entering the massive ExCel to EcoBuild

Chelsea College’s Speedo-Willow design

Once inside the trade show, some highlights for me included the launch of the 2011 Integrated Design Habitats competition, a Speedo-woven willow tunnel and herb wall from Chelsea College of Art & Design, and the presence of nature conservation organizations like the Wildlife Trust, Bug Life, Natural England.

On a personal note, the Swiss booth tickled my homesick taste-buds not only with Frey chocolates but also with Basler Läckerlis! Yummmm and happeeeeeeeee!

Some brand-new products were launched at EcoBuild 2011, like:
  • ICS Heat Pumps: the latest in DeLonghi’s inverter-driven heat pump technology
  • EMMVEE Photovoltaics: a new range of mono- and polycrystalline solar modules suitable for use in grid and off-grid applications
  • Wind Turbine: the Evance R9000 wind turbine was the fist and is currently the only 5kW wind turbine to receive full MCS accreditation, making it eligible for the UK Feed-In Tariff scheme
  • Photovoltaic energy roof system: IKO Solar launched two new systems: flexible strips (which are adhered to a roofing membrane), and a cylindrical system (which, when placed loosely on the roof, benefits from additional reflectance from the surface of the waterproofing).
  • Cyclepods: the new Streetpod secures bike frame and both wheels with a single lock.
  • Wood fibre insulation: new natural wood and hemp fibre insulation and construction solutions which provide both thermal and acoustic insulation
  • Energy efficient timber house: the new generation of such houses presented by Stommel Haus

Living architecture at EcoBuild

In terms of green roofs and living walls, such events provide tangible representation of how living architecture fits into the greater building sector. It’s humbling to realize what a small niche we fill. But hey, someone’s gotta do it!

At EcoBuild, all the component sectors of the living architecture industry (substrate, systems, ecology, etc.) held just a tiny sliver of the show. The companies and organizations in attendance were nicely represented, however. Blackdown Horticultural always put on a good show with their big and welcoming green spaces and impressive slopes. Alumasc and Optigreen had big booths and smart-looking business people ready to answer all questions. Shire Mineral had a little booth and many personable visitors. A number of living wall system providers were present, too, providing welcome towers and walls of greenery within the show.

Launch of the 2011 Integrated Design Habitats Competition (IDHC)

The IDHC “[puts] biodiversity at the heart of the built environment for the benefit of all” and celebrates design which accomplishes this. Organised by RESET and livingroofs.org, the IHDC was devised to provide a forum for visionaries and innovators in order to design better, more sustainable habitats for everyone.

For this year, the IHDC 2011 was launched at Ecobuild’s Cityscape Stage. Last year’s winners presented their projects, along with 2011 Principal Sponsor (Victoria Business Improvement District) and co-organisers Dusty Gedge (livingroofs.org) and Blanche Cameron (RESET). Gary Grant, Chair of Judges, spoke of the urgency to support biodiversity in the built environment.

The first competition ran in 2010, and awards were presented at the London World Green Roof Congress (September 2010). First prize went to Edge Hill Halls by Maria-Cristina Banceanu (1st year architecture student, University of Liverpool), above; second place went to MATRIPOLIS, by Paul Jones and David Dobereiner; and 3rd place went to the highly-commended Seed Catalogue by Susannah Hagan, Silvio Caputo, Mark Gaterell. To learn more about these projects, follow their respective links.

The Cityscape Stage was buzzing with interest

Registration for the 2011 IDHC is from 21 March to 31 July, with entry period from 1 May to 31 July. 1st prize is £2,000, 2nd prize is £1,000 and 3rd prize is £750.

Overall a great day, a massive show, several inspiring projects, numerous impressive technologies, and many great people! Many thanks to all who made EcoBuild a fabulous event and gathering!

~ Christine