Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2010 - (Page 25)

SPECS CATEGORY: Green Walls PROJECT: Camilla and Peter Dalglish Atrium, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario AWARD RECIPIENT: Diamond and Schmitt Architects (architect) CLIENT: Royal Botanical Gardens DESIGN TEAM: Green Wall Specialist NEDLAW Living Walls Structural Engineer Halcrow Yolles Images courtesy of Elizabeth Gyde, Diamond and Schmitt Architects Commissioning Agent Opresnik Engineering Consultants Inc. Noise & Vibration Aercoustics Landscape Architect duToit Allsop Hillier Mechanical/Electrical Engineer MCW Consultants Ltd. General Contractor Ira McDonald Construction Ltd. RECYCLING RAINWATER THOUSANDS OF VISITORS TO THE ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS ARE LEARNING ABOUT GREEN WALLS, ALL THANKS TO ONE VISIONARY DESIGN TEAM COST: CDN $189 per square foot/$87,000 total T he Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is a major tourist attraction in Ontario, as well as a significant local and regional horticultural, educational and scientific resource. The 980-hectares of nature sanctuaries owned by RBG – whose mission includes being a “living museum” – is considered the plant biodiversity hotspot for Canada as more than 1,100 species of plants grow within its boundaries. The design of the Camilla and Peter Dalglish Atrium and its two lush, green walls help create a visual connection between the interior space and the surrounding gardens. The living walls not only provide a healthy and comfortable interior, they are also an educational and botanical display highlighting how plants can be used to improve our indoor environment. In fact, over 18,000 school children visit the RBG each year through organized school programs with another 200 programs aimed at the public. Interpretive signs will be installed to explain benefits and features such as how the walls are irrigated. Rainwater from the building roof is collected into a 12,000-liter capacity cistern and circulated via hydroponic pumps for irrigation. This system was singled out by the judges as being remarkable as green walls can often consume a lot of water so the ability to harvest rainwater for irrigation was thought to be a very valuable design feature. “ RAINWATER FROM A BASIN AT THE BASE OF EACH WALL IS LIFTED BY A PUMP SYSTEM TO THE TOP AND FLOWS BACK THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF THE PLANT WALL, CIRCULATING THROUGH A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM. AS WATER IS ABSORBED INTO THE PLANTS THE SYSTEM IS REPLENISHED WITH RAINWATER FROM THE CISTERN. Mike Szabo, principal, Diamond and Schmitt Architects LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR FALL 2010 25

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2010

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2010
From the Founder - Urban Agriculture
Strata - T.O.’s New Green Roof Construction Standard
On the Roof With…Richard Conlin
Project - Farming for the City
Beekeeping - Diary of an Urban Apiarist
Exemplary Design - GRHC’s 2010 Awards of Excellence Winners
A Green Roof That Moves
Steeped in Ecological Design
Creating Community
A Model of Municipal Leadership
A Green Roof That Works
Like a Grassland Stream
Prairie in the City
Recycling Rainwater
Research - Increasing Urban Food Security With Extensive Green Roofs
Economic Valuation of a Rooftop Food Garden
Grhc Update - Macro-Scale Food Production
New Corporate Members
New GRPs
On Spec - Urban Agriculture — Hero or Hype?

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2010