2004 Green Roof Awards

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the organization most actively promoting green roofs in North America, has announced the winners of its second annual Awards of Excellence.

Winners were selected for industrial and commercial, institutional, and residential projects for both intensive (with more than 6” of growing medium) and extensive (with 6” or less) green roofs. Awards will be presented during the Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities conference, held June 2–4, 2004. GRHC is online at www.greenroofs.org.

•Intensive Residential: Balmori Associates, Inc. for the Solaire at Battery Park City in New York City. The residential high-rise includes a 5,000 ft² (465 m²) intensive terrace green roof on the 19th floor and a 4,800 ft² (445 m²) extensive green roof on the 28th floor.

•Extensive Residential: Shim-Sutcliffe Architects for Island House in Thousand Islands, Ontario. This single-family residence, located on an island in the St. Lawrence River, includes 1,700 ft² (160 m²) of wildflowers and sedums on an upper and lower roof.

•Intensive Institutional: Roofscapes, Inc. for the Oaklyn Branch Library in Evansville, Indiana. This 17,250 ft² (1,600 m²) green roof, accessible to the public, is planted with native prairie plants. Book circulation has increased threefold since the new library opened.

•Extensive Institutional: Roofscapes, Inc. for the Life Expression Wellness Center in Sugar Loaf, Pennsylvania. This 6,000 ft² (560 m²) green roof, atop a chiropractic center, is the steepest-pitched green roof in North America.

•Intensive Industrial/Commercial: Jeffery L. Bruce & Co. in association with Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture, Inc. for Soldier Field at the North Burnham Park redevelopment in Chicago, Illinois. This park covers more than 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) atop a sloping parking garage. It includes a number of shade trees and is expected to host hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

•Extensive Industrial/Commercial: William McDonough + Partners for the Ford Dearborn Assembly Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. At 454,000 ft² or 10.4 acres (4.2 ha), this is the largest green roof in the world. The green roof is expected to result in a 7% reduction in energy consumption.