Green is Growing: Green Roof Awards 2004

Toronto?EUR??,,????'??+The 2004 Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) awards of excellence winners were announced by Steven Peck, executive director of GRHC, the North American trade association for the green roof industry. The six awards, honoring the best in green roof design, will be presented at the GRHC?EUR??,,????'??s second annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference in Portland, Oregon, June 3, 2004. Winners are chosen by a six member multidisciplinary judging team for industrial/commercial, institutional and residential projects. Intensive Residential-Solaire Building, Battery Park City - Lower Manhattan, New York, N.Y. Award Recipient-Balmori Associates, Inc. (design firm, New York, NY and New Haven Conn.) Architects of Record: Cesar Pelli and Associates (designer of the world?EUR??,,????'???s tallest building, the Petronas Tower in Malaysia Owner: Albanese Development Corp. Green Roof Feature:5,000 sq. ft. terrace (intensive) green roof on the 19th floor and 4,800 sq. ft. (extensive) green roof on the 28th floor. It is planted with self-sustaining perennial shrubs and bamboos, over an American Hydrotech waterproofing membrane. The green roofs are expected to absorb nearly 70 per cent of rainwater, and filter out heavy metals and other pollutants. The Solaire was on the 2004 American Institute of Architects' Top 10 listing of green buildings. Extensive Residential-Island House, Thousand Islands, St. Lawrence River, east of Kingston, Ontario Canada (close to New York State border) Award Recipient: Shim??,,???Sutcliffe Architects (Toronto, Ontario) Green Roof Designer: Marie-Ann Boivin Soprema Canada (Quebec City) Green Roof Landscape Contractor: Top Nature (Montreal, Quebec) Structural Engineer: Blackwell Engineering Mechanical Engineers:Toews Systems Design Contractor: Michael Sheedy & Mark Peabody Green Roof Feature: A single-family home with upper and lower roofs using a Sopranature green roof system occupying 1,700 sq. ft. The lower roof uses different species of sedum; the upper roof is a wildflower meadow incorporating local plants. The structure blends into the landscape and is surrounded by clover meadows and the area between the house and the river contains a large water garden with indigenous lilies and bullrushes. Intensive Industrial/Commercial-Soldier Field, N. Burnham Park Redevelopment, Chicago Award Recipient: Jeffery L. Bruce & Co. (North Kansas City) in association with Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture, Inc. (Chicago). Client: Chicago Bears and the Chicago Parks District Architects: Wood + Zapata (New York) with Dirk Lohan, Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects (Chicago). Civil Engineers: V3 Consultants (Chicago) Structural Engineers:-Thornton-Tomasetti, engineers Green Roof Feature: A new rooftop park was created along the Chicago waterfront, covering five and a half acres on a sloped parking garage roof. This is a complex site with a integrated irrigation and drainage system and growing medium depth ranging from six to 30 inches. On the roof deck portion, larger caliper (six inches in diameter) trees (maple, ash and linden) have been planted. Extensive Industrial Commercial-Ford Dearborn Assembly Plant, Dearborn, Michigan Award Recipients: William McDonough + Partners, concept design architects, (Charlottesville Va.), and ARCADIS, architect/engineer of record (international). Client: Ford Motor Company Construction Manager: Walbridge Aldinger Green Roof Consultant: XeroFlor America Vegetation Supplier: Hortech Inc & Walters Gardens (Zeeland, Mich) Green Roof Feature: This is the largest green roof in the world recognized by Guinness World Records measuring 454,000 sq. ft. (10.4 acres). The installation of the green roof is calculated to result in an energy efficiency gain of 7 per cent. The water retention capability of the roof reduces the need for a water treatment facility, and unabsorbed water is cleaned though wetlands as it runs into the Rouge River. With 50 ft spans to consider, a lightweight roof was required. A XeroFlor system was selected with a saturated weight of less than 10 lbs per sq. ft. (with a one inch growing medium depth). The size of the roof and volume of plant material required necessitated off-site pre-planting of vegetation, a full year before installation. Researchers at Michigan State University in the department of crop and soil science were consulted to research the vegetation. The roofing membrane was provided by Siplast, and an irrigation system is also in place. Intensive Institutional-Oaklyn Branch Library, Evansville, Indiana Award Recipients: Roofscapes Architect: William Brown at Veazey Parrott Durkin and Shoulders (Indianapolis, Ind.) Landscape Architect: Storrow Kinsella Associates, (Indianapolis Ind.) Green Roof Feature: This is a single storey building with a publicly accessible 17, 250 sq. foot vegetated green roof. The location is steeply sloping so the building's green roof blends into the uphill side. The roof landscaping and energy efficient building envelope have made it a community attraction and book circulation has increased three-fold. Extensive Institutional-Life Expression Wellness Center, Sugar Loaf, Pennsylvania Award Recipients: Roofscapes Architect:Van der Ryn Architects (Sausalito Calif.) Green Roof Designer: Roofscapes (Philadelphia Pa.) Green Roof Installer: David Bros. Landscape (Worcester Pa.) Owner: Ron and Joanne Gallagher This is a 6,000 sq. ft green roof installed on a chiropractic center in central Pennsylvania. It is the steepest pitched green roof in North America. The green roof contributes to the reduction in heating and cooling costs, biodiversity conservation, storm water management and helps integrate the structure in to the surrounding landscape. The designers were presented with several challenges which included stabilizing the vegetation on the steep slope and protecting new plantings from wind scour. The awards are sponsored by Colbond, Greentech, Hydrotech, US EPA, Ford Motor Company, Earthpledge. For more information, visit www.greenroofs.org