Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012 - (Page 1)

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN A s the Chair of GRHC over the past four years and being directly involved with GRHC for the last decade, I have seen our industry grow and mature into a world movement in this short period of time. At the first Green Roof Conference in Chicago in 2003, green roofs were a relatively unrecognized and misunderstood technology. Policy makers, architects, builders and owners in North America were reluctant to embrace the promise of green roofs out of the fear of failure and lack of knowledge. While landscape architects Ted Osmundson and Cornelia Oberlander demonstrated the possibility of reclaiming our cities with gardens in the sky decades earlier, there was no common voice to advocate for and provide a forum for green roof policy until GRHC. Since that initial conference in Chicago over a decade ago we have witnessed monumental advances in research, policy, manufacturing, design and implementation of green roof and wall technologies. Consider the milestones of achievement; green roof policy symposiums in dozens of cities, public educational content of almost 20 green roof and green wall workshops given to tens of thousands of attendees, adoption of ANSI standards for wind and fire, the launch of the World Green Infrastructure Network which now includes 20 countries and the Green Roof Professional Program which has trained and accredited over 500 professionals in the marketplace. As a result of advocacy, research and technological innovations, green roof policies have been adopted by numerous states, cities and US federal agen- cies including GSA, EPA, and DOD. What other industry can boast of a 115% annual growth in 2011? Even today the work GRHC is undertaking in integrated water management, the Living Architecture Performance Tool, and urban agriculture will continue to fuel growth of the industry for decades to come. Coming back to Chicago in 2012 is a celebration of community in a city whose leadership in sustainable policy has made it a leader in the installation of green roofs between 2004 and 2012 with over 5 million square feet. The next few years will challenge Chicago’s title of the green roof capital of North America with aggressive policies and incentives in Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Toronto whose 2010 bylaw policy alone has generated approval of over two million square feet to be installed in the near future. While the past is impressive, the future is limitless for our industry. We will only be confined by our imagination. The greening of buildings will no longer be confined to the exterior roofs and walls, but will be a product of integrated design solutions that will incorporate green roof technologies into water, energy and building systems in ways never possible just a few years ago. Sincerely, Jeffre L. Bruce, GRP Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SUMMER 2012 / 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012
Contents
Letter from the Chairman
From the Founder
New Standard on the Use of Lightweight Aggregate
Urban Agriculture Declaration Caps Amazing Summit Debut
Economics of Biophilic Design
Brad Rowe, David Spalding, Cornelia Oberlander, Paul Kephart
Green Roofing Industry Sees Triple Digit Growth
Green Roof Local Market Symposiums
Industry Professionals Weigh in on Growing Media Quality Control!
CitiesAlive in Chicago Oct 17th – 19th
Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition Changes our Perspectives on Infrastructure
Improving Tax Abatement
10th Anniversary Commemorative Pull Out Section
Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market
Leadership Knows No Bounds- Virginia Russell
Policy Profile- A Home for Biodiversity on Green Roofs
New Industry Products
Plant Profile: Chives Thrive on Green Roofs
Half a year, Full-Fledged Growth
In God We Trust – All Others Bring Data!
New Corporate Members
Professional Calendar
GRHC Buyers Guide
Green Supremacy by Zach Williams

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012