Green Roof Video Friday - The Solaire

I hope you enjoy this video about the Solaire, an apartment building in New York City with two green roofs.  The building also has on-site water treatment as well as a 33 KW solar system.  It is LEED Gold (the first multi-family high rise to do so)!

One of the most important elements of the green roofs on the Solaire is that they reduce storm water runoff.  In New York City, property owners are assessed a tax based on the volume of storm water runoff.  Fortunately, there is a tax reduction if the building has a green roof.

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The green roofs also reduce the heating and cooling costs by insulating the roof for both the heat of the sun, as well cold winds.  The green roof also reduce the heat island effect, which is when buildings in large cities absorb the heat of the sun and release the heat through convection.  This convection can raise the city's temperature over 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

US Postal Service Green Roof

The US Postal Service has finished a 2.5 acre green roof in New York City. The green roof, on top of the Morgan, an historic building in mid-town, should last 50 years.

Inhabitat.com posted the story in its regular email, though the USPS posted a press release on 22 July 2009. Free Shipping on any purchase over $25

According to the press release,

“The Morgan green roof is the largest in New York and one of the largest in the country,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. “Not only does it provide employees with a beautiful, serene outdoor environment, the green roof will help us meet our goal to reduce energy usage 30 percent by 2015.”

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The USPS wisely noted the value of green roofs, namely, reduced energy usage, as well as storm water runoff management. Additionally, green roofs reduce fine particulate matter air pollution. Of course, they are beautiful also! Chuck Norris wants YOU to get into shape! - Total Gym® Official Store. Try Total Gym® for 30 Days for only $1 - FREE Shipping.

As a US taxpayer, I am glad to see my money being spent in such a responsible way! Let's hope we see more green roofs, not just in New York City, but also in places such as Shanghai, Bangalore, and more in Mexico City.

New York's Dragonfly Concept

In the race to insure food for ever-larger urban populations, designers and architects are working on vertical farms inside cities.

As I have written about both Vancouver's Harvest Tower and Dubai's Food City, New York City is looking to join the club in a big way.

Vincent Callebaut Architectures has designed the Dragonfly building, based on two vertical towers. According to World Architectural News and Fast Company.com:

"Callebaut's 132 floor, 600-meter-high farm contains 28 different agricultural fields for fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy production. The fields are surrounded by houses, offices, and research laboratories laid out over several floors. The building, which is completely powered by solar and wind power, also purifies liquid waste into water suitable for crops and composts solid waste for fertilizers."

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Although there isn't sufficient surface area for a traditional green roof, the benefits of a green roof are captured in the grey water recycling as well as the CO2 reduction by the plant life.

The core of the building is a greenhouse, in the shape of a dragonfly's wing. This core supports the weight of the building and allows sunlight to pass through the building.

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The significance of urban farming is to provide sufficient agricultural goods to the city while limiting the shipping traffic traditionally associated with feeding it. There is an opinion that reducing the need for rural farm land will allow that land to revert to its original state.

While it is clear that the Dragonfly concept isn't capable of being built today, the concepts included in the design can influence future buildings.

Manhattan's Green Roofs Grow

New York City, and Manhattan in particular, has a great collection of buildings with green roofs. Now, the city can add another series of green roofs found in Clinton Park.

Ten Arquitectos and Enrique Norten have designed a unique mixed-use structure that not only puts housing units on a diagonal, but also puts a green roof on top of each floor. Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food

World Architecture News.com writes,

Each floor steps up from the one below, allowing for unobstructed views to the park and Hudson River and providing private roof terraces with green roofs on every floor.

As one can see from the picture, the amount of green roofs would appear to cover the entire footprint of the building. A green roof of this size will improve storm water runoff management, as well reduce fine particulate matter air pollution. Water Barrels and Storage

The building itself, as mentioned above is mixed-use. Again, from WAN,

...the building fills a void in the urban fabric by integrating multiple commercial uses... providing 900 housing units in the 27 floors above. The base include(s) a 50,000 sq-ft auto showroom with 250,000 sq ft of service floors below grade, a 30,000 sq-ft horse stable for the NYPD Mounted Police, a 7,500 square-foot market, a 30,000 square-foot health club, and 200 parking spaces.

The diagonal layout allows not only for multiple green roofs over a single footprint, the design also reduces the urban heat island effect by moving mass away from its neighboring buildings. This building will not only architectural interest to city, but provide much needed environmental benefits as well.