In part due to Zone Green, the world’s largest rooftop farm could be coming soon to one of New York City’s biggest food distribution centers in the Hunts Point section of The Bronx.
Archive | Green Roofs
Sounds Good: Inside Carnegie Hall’s LEED Silver Overhaul
By David Roth on March 23, 2011 in Green Roofs, Historic Preservation, LEED-EB, Manhattan, Midtown, New York City
How does Carnegie Hall plan to reach LEED Silver status? Practice, practice, practice. (Well, that and an ambitious green retrofit)
The White Stuff: Shedding Some Light On NYC’s Cool Roofs Program
They don’t have the aesthetic appeal of green roofs, but white roofs are great at saving energy. So why aren’t they everywhere yet?
Where Have All The Flowers Gone: Why Have Green Roofs Not Caught On In New York City?
They’re about as beautiful a manifestation of green building as exists, and benefit from a generous tax credit. So why aren’t green roofs catching on in New York City?
Grange Life: Press, Praise For Long Island City Rooftop Farm Brooklyn Grange, But Can It Work?
Brooklyn Grange is going to be a one-acre working farm on a rooftop in Long Island City, once it gets its paperwork straightened out. It’s also a quandary for green-leaning folks.
New York State Approves Funding for Affordable LEED Silver Hegeman Residence in Brownsville
Designed by Cook + Fox Architects, the Hegeman Residence will pursue a LEED Silver rating from USGBC and exclusively offer studios, 61 of which will be set aside for low-income individuals from the surrounding neighborhood (which, incidentally, is one of the poorest in New York City and where a disproportionate number of residents become homeless).
Hartford’s Hollander Gets Connecticut Capital’s First Green Roof
Hartford already has its share of green buildings — from ultra-green duplexes in the Swift Village neighborhood to Pelli Clarke Pelli’s striking LEED Silver Connecticut Science Center on the waterfront — but a vibrant city center is one vital sustainable element the city still lacks.
Case Study: A Practical Look at the Risks of Green Roofs
Recently, there have been a number of articles suggesting that the risks associated with green roofs have been overblown. Over the past few days, I’ve spent some time looking for more concrete examples of green roof-related risks in practice. I started by looking for case law where a plaintiff alleged an attractive nuisance claim against the owner of a building arising out of a green roof or other rooftop landscaping. Westlaw did not return any results entirely on point, but I did find a number of interesting attractive nuisance decisions which I may present in a subsequent post here at GRELJ. The much more practical research that I turned up was the following except from an article by Kelly Luckett, the self-proclaimed “Green Roof Guy” who writes a column for greenroofs.com. In a column from the very end of 2008, Mr. Luckett describes how uneducated project teams may unwittingly expose themselves to unanticipated risks stemming from the maintenance requirements of green roof installations. His remarks also reflect a number of key points we’ve made consistently both here at GRELJ and over at gbNYC with respect to the additional risk management strategies demanded by new green building technologies and third-party certification programs.
Toronto to Mandate Green Roofs for Most New Construction
Notwithstanding many of the persistent- and still emerging- concerns over the increased risks from their installation, Toronto is on the verge of becoming the first city in North America to mandate green roofs for most types of new construction. By a vote of 36-2 which, according to the National Post, “was adopted after remarkably little debate on the floor of council,” the sweeping legislation requires green roofs on all residential buildings over 6 stories, schools, affordable housing developments, commercial, and industrial buildings.
Mitigating Risks When Building Green Roofs
Green roofs have been a part of building for over a thousand years. The current green building movement has, however, had the greatest impact on the growth of the green roofing industry. A green roof is commonly defined as a roof that consists of vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. There are two basic types of green roofs: (i) an extensive roof, which has a few inches of soil cover; and (ii) an intensive roof that has two feet or more of soil for a variety of grass, trees, bushes and shrubs. Green roofs are used in a multitude of buildings, including industrial facilities, commercial offices, retail properties and residences. The benefits of a green roof include reduced storm-water runoff, absorption of air pollution, reduced heat island effect, protection of underlying roof material from sunlight, reduced noise, and insulation from extreme temperatures. A green roof can thus be a critical design element for a green building. As more properties across the country are attempting to obtain LEED certification, it is worth noting that a green roof can help a property obtain over a dozen LEED credits, including credits for reduced site disturbance, landscape design that reduces urban heat islands, storm water management, water efficient landscaping, innovative wastewater technologies and innovation in design. The increase in green roofs and the green building movement is also resulting in an increase in liability resulting from errors in the design, installation or maintenance of green roofs. As a result, owners, design professionals and contractors should carefully consider ways to mitigate the potential risks involved with building a green roof.
