Study Shows Green Roofing to Grow 11% Annually Through 2023

A study was conducted recently that projects the vegetative green roofing market to grow 11 percent annually through 2023. The study is from the Fredonia Group and they project this growth due to increased demand. Demand has increased from legislation mandating green roofs in certain cities as well as from increased funding opportunities.

Cost- Benefit Analysis of  Green Roofs

Research was conducted at British Columbia University to determine the cost-benefit analysis of green roofs. The assessment used individual as well as public benefits from green roofs and analyzed the life cycle costs of having a vegetative roof. They determined that the life cycle costs could be retrieved mostly from individual benefit and when added public benefit in, the life cycle costs are retrieved. 

Green Roofs: How Do They Reduce the Effects of Heat Islands in the Urban Areas?

This article from the EPA discussed the ability of vegetative roofs to reduce the effects of heat islands in urban areas. The heat island effect is from a lack of permeable surfaces in an area and from high blacktop coverage, green roofs help mitigate these impacts by adding more water retention abilities for cities. Link: https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands/using-green-roofs-reduce-heat-islands.

The Nature Conservancy looks at the benefits vegetative roofs have brought to NYC. New York City is one of the largest markets for vegetative roofs and has helped reduce energy costs, reduce stormwater runoff and increase biodiversity.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/new-york/stories-in-new-york/green-roofs-new-york-city/

New York Build- March 12^th – 13^th, 2019
Javits Convention Center, New York City

Thank you to those of you who visited us at our booth at NY Build! We look forward to working together in the future to help make the northeast region one of the forefronts of green roofing in the country! 

We will be back at the Javits Center for NY Build 2020, and we hope to see you there!

Grey to Green- April 4th - 5th, 2019
Holiday Inn Yorkdale, Toronto

Grey to Green will highlight new policy, design practices, and innovative products in the green infrastructure sector. Our goal is to help inform the current policy debate by making the case for a rapid and significant increase in green infrastructure investment, a trend that’s occurring worldwide.
The Grey to Green Conference features the latest research, industry developments, and end-users to share, learn and network. Attend concurrent sessions and networking events with industry leaders,  attend training courses and workshops, and participate in tours across the Greater Toronto Area.
This year, Grey to Green will highlight the economic impacts of climate change adaptation such as flooding and the urban heat island. Flooding affects both the individual in terms of health and well being and has significant economic impacts for society.

AIA Conference on Architecture- June 6th - June 8th
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

Blueprint for a Better Future

Designing a better future means taking on the critical challenges facing cities—and our world—today.

Beyond its excess, extremes, and appetite for the ersatz, Las Vegas is a global pioneer in design. Its ever-changing landscape is an incubator for the kind of transformation that influences architecture and design trends the world over.

And with tens of millions of visitors each year, Las Vegas is boldly on display. Not just the casinos and nightlife, but the hospitals, schools, community centers, parks, apartment buildings, and art installations that are part of people’s everyday lives.

This work is a testimony to how architects are designing a better future by taking on the critical challenges facing cities—and our world—today.

At A’19, we’ll explore designing a better future, for everyone.

Department of Environmental Protection NYC Grant

Privately owned properties within New York City are eligible for the environmental protection grant from the DEP. Some of the main requirements for the grant include but are not limited to, project cost of at least $35,000, providing twenty years of maintenance, and having a structural analysis showing the load bearing capacity of the roof is capable of handling the design. The DEP grant holds four workshops in 2019 to get a better grasp on the requirements and application process. The dates for the workshops are March 13^th, June 12^th, September 11^th, and December 11th. This green infrastructure grant program has a rolling application process, which means no deadlines so applications can be filed any time of the year.

PACE Financing

PACE: Property Assessed Clean Energy - Mechanism for financing energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements on private property. Property owners that voluntarily choose to participate in a PACE program repay their improvement costs over a set time period—typically 10 to 20 years—through property assessments, which are secured by the property itself and paid as an addition to the owners' property tax bills. A PACE assessment is a debt of property, meaning the debt is tied to the property as opposed to the property owner(s). In turn, the repayment obligation may transfer with property ownership if the buyer agrees to assume the PACE obligation and the new first mortgage holder allows the PACE obligation to remain on the property. This can address a key disincentive to investing in energy improvements because many property owners are hesitant to make property improvements if they think they may not stay in the property long enough for the resulting savings to cover the upfront costs. More than 30 states plus the District of Columbia have C-PACE (Commercial PACE) enabling legislation and more than $500 million in projects have been financed.