Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2019 - 22

RESEARCH

UCD AND DENVER BOTANIC
GARDENS CONDUCT RESEARCH ON
MORDECAI CHILDREN'S GARDEN

COLORADO LIVING
ARCHITECTURE REGIONAL
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
BY JENNIFER BOUSSELOT, PH.D., AND LEILA TOLDERLUND, LEED AP, GRP

With the recent confirmation of the Denver Green Roof
(now Green Building) Ordinance, green roofs have become
one of the most popular 'new' urban features in Denver.

O

ur new cross-university
collaboration between
CU DENVER (UCD)
and Colorado State
University (CSU) for a new
Colorado Living Architecture
(CLA) Regional Center of
Excellence has great value to
the profession and the local
community. The mission of
this new center is to encourage education, research and
installation of green roofs and
other living architecture in
west-central North America.
CSU has teamed up with
the Denver Botanic Gardens
(DBG) to do research on the
Mordecai Children's Garden
one acre semi intensive green
roof. DBG Horticulturist
Michael Guidi and CSU
Assistant Professor Jennifer
Bousselot are collaborating
to evaluate the flowering

phenology and subsequent
pollinator visitation of select
plants on the highly diverse
green roof. Citizen scientists
will collect data throughout
two growing seasons so
researchers can evaluate the
ecology of the green roof.
In 2022, CSU will
open three buildings near
downtown Denver at the
National Western Center
(NWC), a redevelopment
project happening on the
site of the annual National
Western Stock Show. The
project will be CSU's first
metropolitan agricultural
experiment station. The
rooftop space on two of the
CSU buildings on the site
will be used for innovative
green roof teaching, research,
industry partnerships, and
outreach.

LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SUMMER 2019 / 22

The green roofs will be a research and demonstration facility
to build on previous CSU research of Colorado's semi-arid
climate. We will evaluate water use and capture on green roofs,
food production systems, the interaction of solar panels and
green roof technology, and other emergent research questions in
the industry. For more information about the CSU Campus at
the National Western Center (video), visit nwc.colostate.edu.
UCD has teamed up with The Gathering Place (TGP) Denver's only woman's day shelter for woman and children
experiencing homelessness - to investigate and improve their
green roof. UCD Assistant Professor Clinical Teaching Track
(CTT) and Associate Chair Leila Tolderlund, and graduate
students Leah Bryant and Kathryn Landers are currently
researching the environmental, social, and economic benefits of
this playground and urban garden on the roof of the building.
Leila was part of the initial design team with Landscape
Architecture and Urban Planning firm Design Workshop
responsible for the design and implementation of this urban
green roof garden over a decade ago and has followed the
program, operations and maintenance development of the
project closely since its beginning. Based on current and past
findings, a maintenance manual is being created and volunteers
at TGP are being trained this year to optimize the use, benefits
and performance of this green roof project.
The Landscape Architecture Department at UCD recently
LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM
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Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2019

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