Evaluating green roof performance and design in the Toronto area

Green roofs minimize stormwater runoff, building cooling costs, and provide other social, economic, and environmental benefits. Green roofs are also highly-proprietary, with the industry having many components to suite different applications, all influencing green roof survival and performance. With a green roof by-law and construction standard in Toronto, green roof coverage is consistently among the top cities in North America annually, however there exists no published data on green roof performance for the region, nor on the health and status of the City’s existing green roofs. The objectives of this project are to quantify green roof performance at the Green Roof Innovation Testing (GRIT) lab, and to survey and document Toronto’s existing green roofs, critically examining them using Toronto’s Best Practices Guidelines. The collaborative project will result in improved design and planning of green roofs by STLAi, the creation of interactive material for referencing Toronto’s green roofs online, and two peer-reviewed publication.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Liat Margolis

Student:

James Scott MacIvor

Partner:

Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc.

Discipline:

Architecture and design

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of Toronto