Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2018 - 1

FROM THE FOUNDER

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

IS IT THE KEY TO GREENER, MORE
RESILIENT AND HEALTHIER CITIES?

I

magine a city virtually devoid of plants just steel, glass, asphalt and concrete. Would
you want to live there? Probably not! Now
imagine a city where plants are everywhere
- on the ground, on the walls, and atop our
buildings. Would you want to live there? The
odds are that not only you would, but that
you'd be willing to pay more to live in such a
community.
Regulations requiring stormwater
management are fueling renewed efforts
to invest in green infrastructure on public
and private property. As more jurisdictions
look to manage stormwater by using
green infrastructure technologies, the
demand for urban forests, bioswales, green
roofs and walls and other supportive
technologies grows.
Stormwater is a serious challenge with
annual discharges of more than 10 trillion
gallons. Stormwater contributes to flooding,
combined sewer overflows, erosion and
impairment of water quality. Just look at
the streets and think about the poisonous
concoction of salt, brake lining residue, silt,
rubber, pesticides, and animal feces which is
urban stormwater - then add raw sewage to
the mix and presto - you've got combined
sewer overflow. When it rains, or the snow
melts, this highly contaminated liquid
discharges into our lakes, rivers, streams and
estuaries, or perhaps, a large multi-billion
dollar holding tank only to be discharged
later. There is no 'away' for stormwater! Our
growing awareness that our use of plastic
micro beads wash back into our food chain
and ultimately into our bodies demonstrates
clearly that there is no 'away'.
Reducing stormwater substantially
through onsite capture, retention and
treatment, can't solve the plastic issue, but
does go a long way to addressing many of
these problems. Moreover, when we address
stormwater management by investing in
green infrastructure solutions, we are also
able to address other pressing issues in
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our communities, such as the urban heat
island effect which contributes to air quality
pollution, the need for employment, access to
food, and the unhealthy lack of green space.
Taxpayers can get far more bang for their
public buck by investing in widespread green
infrastructure implementation than huge
holding tanks to capture stormwater or new
power plants for air conditioners to fight the
worsening urban heat island effect.
In many cases, green infrastructure can
also deliver value by offsetting or right sizing
the use of grey infrastructure. As the case
study of a modular green roof in Denver in
this issue illustrates, space used for a large
cistern in the basement can't be rented as
parking space and that lost revenue adds
up. The multiple benefits of large green
space are brought to light in an article by
Emma Tamlin, Assistant Editor, on mega
projects in Chicago, San Francisco and a
proposed Rail Deck Park in Toronto pictured
on the cover. These projects demonstrate
tangible environmental benefits, and their
social and artistic amenities also fuel nearby
development projects. Chicago's Millennium
Park has even become the primary tourist
attraction with its mix of green space,
iconic sculptures, gardens, fountains and
architecture.
The capture and reuse of stormwater is
also a viable strategy in many projects, even
for irrigating green walls, as the article on
Whole Foods in Chicago by Amber Ponce
illustrates. The beneficial harvesting of
water also extends to Quebec's latest rooftop
farm, as reported by Joyce McLean, our
Associate Editor. This innovative rooftop
farm manages stormwater and generates
both profits and happy customers. The
fine act of designing stormwater retention
with the need for supplemental irrigation is
explored by Dr. Brad Rowe. He reveals some
of the pros and cons of the interrelationship
between plants, assemblies and irrigation
methods.

Policy is also about stormwater regulation,
and our On the Roof With discussion piece
features some tough questions about the
trends in civil engineering practice and green
infrastructure. Elizabeth Fassman Beck of
Stevens Institute of Technology and Mike
Hardin of Geosyntec share their insights on
stormwater civil engineering practice.
The new Living Architecture
Performance Tool, explains Rohan Lilauwala,
provides policy makers with a vehicle to
connect regulations and incentives directly to
green roofs and walls. The 110 credit system,
based very much on LEED and SITES,
provides a much needed performance
framework for the industry. We are looking
for policy makers and organizations to
lead by piloting Version 1.0 of the Living
Architecture Performance Tool in the
next few years. This will help us fine tune
the system and drive demand for better
performing green roofs and walls. If you are
interested in learning more about how the
LAPT certification can help, please connect
with us.
As we enter the spring thaw, give
some thought to where the stormwater is
going and help redirect it toward green
infrastructure projects that can deliver
multiple benefits in our communities. We
really can design and build the kind of cities
that we want to live in, for ourselves, our
families and our communities.
Sincerely yours,

Steven W. Peck,
GRP, Honorary ASLA
Founder and President

LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SPRING 2018 / 1
http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2018
