Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014 - (Page 20)

PROJECT PROFILE SPACE IN TRANSITION RYERSON UNIVERSITY'S FIRST GREEN ROOF GETS AN URBAN AGRICULTURE FACELIFT BY: VINCENT JAVET S itting on top of Ryerson University's George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre in Toronto is a 10,000 square foot (sf) extensive green roof. There are numerous stories about why the building ultimately decided to go green, but one thing is for sure, the green roof installation has undergone dramatic changes since the building was completed in 2004. The original green roof (made possible in 2004 by a $150,000 donation by Canadian broadcaster and Ryerson alumni Valarie Pringle) began as a project to both beautify a rooftop for concerned condo owners as well as to support cutting edge research. Ryerson selected Gardens in the Sky (now Flynn Canada) to design and construct the green roof. The green roof consisted of day lilies, generously planted apart, setting the stage for Mother Nature to work her magic on the open spaces between the plantings. After almost half a decade of limited maintenance and poorly timed weed whacking, the green roof was flourishing, but not as planned. Over 30 different pioneering species had managed to become established. These ranged from weeds like Ragweed to trees such as the Norway Maple. LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SPRING 2014 / 20 The green roof had become full of biodiversity, but it was difficult to manage. The newest vision for this Ryerson University green roof was that of an urban rooftop garden. Enter Rye's HomeGrown (a Ryerson University sustainability group) and a well-rounded team of capable and seasoned urban farmers and volunteers. After numerous discussions and meetings, the conversion of the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre green roof to an urban rooftop farm was given the green light. The green roof contains two sections of plant material and one was granted as a trial site for Rye's HomeGrown to conduct the conversion. The site granted for conversion is considerably smaller than the secondary patch-978 sf-but it does offer wind protection providing a microclimate benefit to rooftop gardening. The roof serves as an example of what can be done when an existing green roof requires revitalization. "The conversion of Ryerson's rooftop not only has enormous potential to increase food production on campus, but also brings an incredible opportunity for hands-on education in urban agriculture within the univer- READ THIS ISSUE ONLINE AT WWW.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM http://WWW.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014
Contents
From the Founder
On the Roof With...
Policy and Standards
Research
Gap Leadership
Confessions of a Green 'Starchitect'
Sprucing Up
Green Roofs and Walls in Music City
Space in Transition
Big Box Retailers Embracing Green Roofs?
Exploring England's Green Roof and Wall Industry
New GRHC Corporate Members
GRHC Buyers Guide
Professional Calendar
Dirty Thoughts

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2014

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