We do more than just green roofs.
Applications, grants, credits, benefits, permits, inspections, designs, delivery, maintenance, and client support - We aim to be a fully turn key service for you!
Green roofs, cool roofs, bio roofs, green walls, green system, roof decks, roof pools, gardens, and solar panels - We’re passionate about making your projects the best!
Buildings, schools, malls, hospitals, storefronts, mansions, roofs, walls, patios, lobbies, terraces, walkways, etc. - We want to help as much as we can and beautify your space!
Why?
We’re making the world a better place!
Insulation from both heat and cold. One of the primary energy-transfer-points of a building, making your roofs green will help the building avoid getting too hot/cold.
Reduce your buildings' heating and cooling costs while extending the life of the roof membrane. “Green roofs retain a lot of water, which reduces the ambient temperature in the air around them.”
Green roofs can also help reduce the distribution of dust and smog throughout the city - an increasing concern.
change the look of your building (more rustic, natural, and nicer).
host a safe haven for bees, insects, and other wildlife if you can.
use green roofs to host agriculture for a community food system.
Fires - Green roofs have lower burning heat load (heat made when a substance burns) than roofs without greenery.
Noise reduction - An “extensive” green roof can reduce sound from outside by 40 decibels, while an “intensive” green roof can drop 50 decibels. We’re doing our best to build more green roofs.
increase the market value of a building - An easy and effective method for beautifying and adding value to buildings of all types.
The growth of green roof buildings means new job opportunities regarding the marketing and deployment of more green roofs.
“Green roofs can serve any number of functions and uses, including: Commercial space (e.g. display areas and restaurant terraces), Recreational space (e.g. lawn bowling and children's playgrounds)” - or a break space for staff.
Improved air quality. The temperature moderating effects of green roofs can reduce demand on power plants, and potentially decrease the amount of CO2 and pollutants.
“Green roofs reduce the amount of stormwater runoff.” “Green Roofs not only retain rainwater, but also moderate the temperature of the water and act as natural filter too.”
Green roofs and cool roofs – known collectively as ‘eco-roofs’ – help make cities more resilient to climatic change.
Green roofs make solar panels more efficient and cooler!
Grants are available to support green roof deployments.
Green roofs can facilitate a significant improvement in the LEED rating of a building, contributing as many as 15 credits under the system, depending on design and level of integration with other building systems.
Formalities & Legalities
We’re here to teach you the lay of the land in terms of the laws and staying within the lines of what’s realistic/doable:
“North American first: Toronto's Green Roof Bylaw, in effect since 2010. It’s the first (and, for now, only) regulation of its kind in North America, making Toronto uniquely positioned for environmental design.”
“Toronto’s Green Roof Bylaw sets out a graduated green roof requirement for new development or additions that are greater than 2,000 m² in gross floor area. The requirement ranges from 20-60% of the Available Roof Space of a building.” (‘Available roof’ excludes HVAC, etc.)
Green roofs, also known as “living roofs”, “vegetated roofs”, and more, support the growth of vegetation!
Toronto’s Green Roof Bylaw defines a green roof as an extension of an above grade roof, built on top of a human-made structure, that allows vegetation to grow in a growing medium and which is designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with the Toronto Green Roof Construction Standard (Article IV of the Green Roof Bylaw).
“Keeping raw sewage out of Lake Ontario is [also] partially why City Hall enacted its Green Roof Bylaw.”
“Toronto Building has prepared a guideline document to the green roof construction standard, in consultation with the City’s Green Roof Technical Advisory Group. The document contains “best practices” in green roof design, provides designers and the public with additional information on the Toronto Green Roof Construction Standard and contains illustrations to assist with calculating required green roof coverage. To request a copy of the Supplementary guidelines email sustainablecity@toronto.ca” - from CoT.
“Please note: planter boxes on rooftops do not meet the definition of a green roof as they are not an extension of the roofing system” - CoT
“A Green Roof Building Permit is required for the installation of green roofs. For more information on how to apply for a permit contact the Toronto Building Customer Service Counter closest to you” - CoT
“Working with your selected GRP or an engineer, determine if a structural assessment is appropriate for your property. Tip: Grants of up to $1,000 are available to help offset the cost of a structural assessment to determine if an existing building can carry the additional weight of a green roof” - from the City of Toronto
“Many existing roof structures, including garden buildings, are not designed to bear a heavy load - professional installation is a must.”
“An Exemption allows a smaller amount of Green Roof than is required under the Bylaw, provided that a cash-in-lieu payment of $200/m² is made for the reduced green roof area, and the application is approved by the Chief Planner. All funds collected as cash-in-lieu will be directed to the City of Toronto Eco-Roof Incentive Program.) - the fee is 2x the price of rebate you get for a green roof.
“You will need to know the slope, the structural loading capacity, and existing materials of the roof, as well as the nature of any drainage systems, waterproofing, and electrical and water supply in place. You should also consider who would have access to it, who will perform maintenance, and what kind of sun and wind exposure the roof gets.
“For a copy of the Guidelines for Biodiverse Green Roofs contact: sustainablecity@toronto.ca”.
7+ LAYERS: “A green roof assembly includes, as a minimum, a root repellent system, a drainage system, a filtering layer, a growing medium (soil) and plants, and is installed on a waterproof membrane of an applicable roof. Green roof systems are most often installed on a flat roof, but can be installed on a sloped roof with a few considerations” - in Toronto, the roof must be <16.5 degrees slope.
Green roof systems are generally classified as extensive, semi-intensive or intensive. Green roofs are just the start of your savings.
A cool roof (or white roof) is “a roofing system with an exterior surface the reflects the sun’s rays and reduces heat build-up from the sun.”
All green roofs will vary by region, climate, building, design, etc.
GRHC members are an excellence source of green roof expertise, a resource manual is available from GRHC's Green Infrastructure Store.
“Contact a Green Roof Professional (GRP) near you to provide advice and a quote. Tip: Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is a member based organization that has a list of qualified GRPs. Note: You are not required to hire a contractor, and you may opt to install the roof yourself. However we recommend that you consult with a green roof professional. City of Toronto staff are not able to recommend a contractor or provide a list of contractors.” - from GRHC.
Maintenance is an integral part in promoting overall good health and vibrancy for your green roof. Green roofs typically do not require a lot of maintenance once established. You do however need to ensure that weeds are removed periodically and there’s enough water.
We are helping set the bar for the industry in North America as early and dominant industry players. We get to help beautify cities and improve communities while contributing to energy savings.
First introduced in Berlin in the 1880s to protect bitumen roofs from fire in hot weather, living roofs are now a popular way to add another dimension of green space to a garden, particularly urban gardens and new-builds that aim to blend with the surrounding environment
"There are approximately 500 green roofs, big and small, in Toronto, which was recognized by the Annual Green Roof Industry Survey (2016) for installing the most green roof area of all North American cities (more than 600,000 square feet), followed by Chicago in second
Our Focus on Quality
Developers can opt out of installing anything remotely grassy for a fee. But Jane Welsh, City Hall’s project manager for environmental planning, told Torontoist only five per cent of buildings choose to go sans-green roof
given the rapid growth and development expected — the population of the GTA is expected to hit 10 million about 2046 — many more buildings will be added to the city's skyline
The Ryerson Urban Farm is Toronto’s only harvest well above ground-level, save for a few condo gardens; but Trent University’s rooftop farm in Peterborough, Ontario is also a nearby early adopter. Both yield impressive quantities of produce and illustrate a trend Vonk believes will take off, particularly with restaurants
A considerable amount of research on the public and private benefits of green roof infrastructure in different climate zones, different built environments, and at different scales needs to be conducted in order to forge a new industry through the development of supportive public policy
Anyone who lives in Canada knows the natural environment plays a huge role in its citizens' lives
Stormwater Fee Credit - Property owners can receive a credit on their stormwater fee. Many municipalities are implementing stormwater fees to help pay for the rising costs of stormwater management infrastructure. Stormwater fee credits are calculated based on the amount of area targeted or based on how effective the green infrastructure is in reducing stormwater runoff
Tax Credit/Abatement - An amount is deducted from taxes (credit) or a reduction of taxes (abatement) for the construction of a green roof. The amount is often calculated as a percentage of the cost of construction, or as a dollar amount per square foot of green roof constructed up to a certain limit
Other - There are other policies and programs to inspire the construction and installation of green infrastructure, such as: the expedition of project permits if green roofs are a part of the project plan; and using green roofs to achieve points for sustainable development plan
Density/Floor Area Ratio Bonus - Builders are permitted to increase the density of their building by increasing the height of the building or the floor area ratio, when green infrastructure is added to the building
Funding (Grant) - Funding for the installation of specific types of green infrastructure. To receive grant funding, applications must be submitted and approved in advance of construction
Funding (Rebate) - People may be reimbursed for the cost (up to a certain amount) of installing specific types of green infrastructure.
Funding (Subsidy) - Property owners make co-payments for part of the cost of the green infrastructure installment
Mandate - Bylaws or policies have been put into place to require green roofs under specific circumstances
Residential Stewardship Programs - There are financial incentives and technical support to inspire property owners to volunteer to install and/or maintain green infrastructure and stormwater management techniques
