The article delves into the evolving challenges of urban water management amid climate change and urban development, advocating for an integrated approach that treats stormwater as a valuable resource, emphasizing adaptation and integrated and holistic approaches to managing urban water.

Civil Engineer Nicole Holmes reveals the unspoken challenges hindering the widespread adoption of green roofs. Dive into the secrets behind their underutilization and how to unlock their full potential in building resilient cities.

In the world of sustainable architecture, stormwater driven living walls are a revolutionary green building practice. Discover Enni Headquarters in Moers, Germany, with its remarkable 650 sqm living wall, ingeniously irrigated by harvested stormwater. Learn about the smart systems, underground reservoirs, and interdisciplinary collaborations making this green oasis a symbol of urban sustainability.

Discover how this Blue-Green Roof project combines detention and retention for superior results. Explore a real-world case study at Northwestern University, showcasing innovative solutions for water challenges while ensuring sustainability and building integrity. A must-read for urban planning enthusiasts and environmental advocates.

Learn about the green roofs in Toronto that manage stormwater and achieve multiple sustainability goals. By upgrading to biodiverse green roofs, the design team exceeded water balance targets, reducing storage needs and earning financial incentives, showcasing how green roofs can benefit both the environment and finances in urban development.

This award winning project in Long Island, New York illustrates the important contribution homeowners can make to biodiversity conservation on their roofs while enjoying high quality amenity space.

Biodiversity should not be viewed as a project afterthought but should be at the forefront of all city and project planning. Green roofs should be as biodiverse as possible given project constraints.

In this study, 21 green roof tables were constructed and utilized to compare nine green roof treatments including a roof water reservoir designed to provide temporary water storage (blue roof), two commercially available module systems, these module systems combined with a blue roof underneath (blue-green roof), rockwool, pavers, gravel, and the roofing membrane alone.

Ed Snodgrass, a true pioneer in the green roof industry, shares his vision of what it means to have a fully mature green roof market.

This article summarizes much of Green Roof Diagnostics’ (GRD) approach to applied research. Of the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic), this article focuses primarily on the last pillar: economic sustainability via a recent case study where one developer was able to save US$540,000 by utilizing rooftop detention technology.

Rainfall interception by the leaf canopies of natural forests are typically 25% of annual rainfall. Promoting canopy interception in the urban environment (e.g., roofs and parking lots) with vine canopies grown on suspended trellises could delay and reduce urban stormwater runoff and suppress peak flows.

How much water can a green roof retain? The rate at which the roof regains retention capacity is determined by the combined processes of evaporation and transpiration – the evapotranspiration process. This is the driving factor that should be considered for green roof design.

Living in greater harmony with the environment requires that we do our best to understand the environment and design solutions that provide the most benefit and create little or no harm. Technology – such as via monitoring, smart controls, and modeling – contribute immensely to both that understanding and design.

The green infrastructure industry has an incredible responsibility to provide the best possible green solutions for the 66 percent of the world’s population that will live in urban areas by 2050. We can only get there through excellent research and rigorous science, as well as close collaborations with civil engineers.

Journal of Living Architecture, Volume 8, Issue 1, p 41-64

Stormwater continues to be the #1 reason for installing a green roof. This article seeks to clarify some of the most common terminology related to green roof stormwater management, specifically: retention vs. detention.

Journal of Living Architecture, Volume 8, Issue 1: Evaluating the potential stormwater retention of a living retaining wall system; and Observations on the survival capacity of 118 plant taxa on a green roof in a semi-arid climate: 12 year update