Green roofs: What they are & how they help

Toronto is the first city in North America to have a bylaw on the construction of Green roofs on new development. Adopted by Toronto City Council in 2009 under Mayor David Miller, the bylaw applies to new building permit applications for residential, commercial and institutional developments made after 2010.

Thanks to the City of Toronto bylaw and eco-roof incentive program, we are now starting to see all of those promised Green roofs pop up around the city. Believe it or not, there are now almost 200 Green roofs in the downtown area, and many more in development.

And it's not just condos: commercial developments new and old are getting in on the action, too. In 2014, Sherway Gardens installed a 120,000-sq.-ft. Green roof – the largest on a freestanding commercial structure in the GTA.

Though Green roofs are becoming commonplace across major metropolitan centres, many Canadians are unaware of how many Green roofs are being installed. Plans for Lanterra Developments' up-and-coming The Britt Residences at Bay and Wellesley include renderings for an outdoor terrace with a lawn and Green walls alongside a ninth floor pool, while the same company's Treviso Condos includes a tree-lined rooftop pool at Dufferin and Lawrence.

Toronto isn't the only Ontario city to house condos with Green roofs. Davies Smith Developments' Ironstone Condos in Burlington has a Green roof that enables residents to predict their energy costs for several years, using a geothermal system that provides “Green” energy for most of their heating and cooling. In fact, the condo is one of the first highrise residential buildings in Canada with a geothermal energy system, which is expected to reduce utility bills by up to 60 per cent. By eliminating the need for a natural gas-fired heating system, geothermal systems can also cut electricity use by five to 15 per cent.

Non-profit organization, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, has even launched its own Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence to encourage the continued design and celebration of living architecture in urban areas. The Social Science Building at the University of Ottawa was a 2014 award winner for its interior Green wall, while Waterloo's Tremco Roofing & Building Maintenance won the Chair's Award for Corporate Leadership.

Toronto's City Hall also has a Green roof. With more than 35,000 sq. ft. dedicated to the urban oasis, it is open to the public year round.

Other condo developers in Toronto have heavily committed to including rooftop terraces as part of their condo amenities for the enjoyment of the residents and as an incentive for new buyers. But Green roofs are not only a trendy feature of upscale, boutique condominiums and a mandatory part of the city's bylaw, their benefits can be enjoyed by any Canadian city:

-Green roofs help to cool cities, lessening the heat island effect in the summer months

-Green roofs provide natural spaces for residents or employees to further enjoy the great outdoors

-Green roofs are beneficial for rainwater run-off that the greenery absorbs – this takes the burden off an already overloaded drainage system during storms