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A PR IL 2019 | 15 Green Roofs & Walls PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN-GUY LAMBERT/COURTESY SOPREMA; LIVEROOF ONTARIO INC. Green roofs and walls prove they are an important part of our future by NATALIE BRUCKNER W hen it comes to green roofs and walls, the sector is making signifi- cant leaps and bounds. According to a 2018 report by Technavio, the global green-roofs market is expected to post a compound annual growth rate of more than 19 percent from 2018 to 2022. Kees Govers, technical sales manager at LiveRoof Ontario Inc., says that the City of Toronto's Green Roof Bylaw, in combination with the stormwater management requirements in Toronto and the GTA, are helping to drive the market in his region. "While there is a certain amount of interest from the single-family residential market across the province, outside the GTA the interest comes primarily from institutional building owners and from building developments in green communi- ties, which advanced developers are increasingly embracing, even in places like London, Ontario," explains Govers. One stand-out project for LiveRoof of late is the Eglinton Crosstown project in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood of Toronto, which boasts a 149,000-square-foot green roof. "It's the largest green roof in Ontario to date and the second largest in Canada after the Vancouver Convention Centre," explains Govers. LiveRoof also has a number of exciting projects planned for the year ahead, including green roofs at a hospital expansion in Toronto, and another transit project, which is unique in that it will not only have a green roof but also a temporary water stor- age under the green roof to mitigate the effects of high-intensity storms. Govers adds that while there is greater understanding today of green roofs and how they can help with stormwater management, it is necessary to educate the owners and designers that stormwater management should be considered at the time of site plan approval. "With the increasing frequency and intensity of large storms, a lot more atten- tion is being paid to green roofs and the part they play in stormwater management. We simply cannot afford to keep building concrete everywhere," explains Govers. Martin Borrow, technical adviser at Soprema, says that his company is excited to be bringing several new roof barriers and moisture retention systems to market this year. "We have also been working hard to source more of our material locally so we can better serve our clients and help toward LEED points," he says. Soprema has a complete line of products that enable their experts to create systems that are shallow yet durable and can handle any kind of planting. "Designers can mix and match to come up with the right type of assembly for their specific project," says Borrow. A showcase project for Soprema is its new manufacturing facility in Woodstock, Ontario, which features state-of-the-art production technology. "The roof is made up of various types of green roofs so that designers can come in and see how they respond in the Ontario environment," says Borrow. Borrow adds that one of the biggest challenges to date is being able to show potential clients the advantage of accessible green roofs. "Having access cre- ates an additional value for the owner and the people occupying the building. Vegetative green roofs have the ability to change the way people relate to their environment. They have a rejuvenating effect and create a symbiotic relationship that is not usually found in architecture." As for changes at a Government level, Borrow says that the biggest changes he is seeing is in legislation and the number of cities and municipalities that have enacted, or are enacting, legislation requiring green roofs on new buildings. "With the update to the Province of Ontario's building code, I think we will see a lot more new-builds installing green roofs. Also, with increasing pressure being placed on stormwater management, municipalities are realizing that green roofs are a key component, and a less expensive solution in the long-run, to this growing problem." Next Level Stormwater Management provides innovative rooftop stormwater solutions that are industry-leading in performance and engineering. The com- pany recently introduced its LiteN'Less Blue product, a lightweight and highly absorbent system that greatly reduces site runoff, meeting most municipalities' requirements to provide an economical stormwater management option. Growing Pains QUEBECOR, Montréal, QC. Algonquin College, Ottawa, ON.

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