Lets Grow Forests on top of our buildings

Building Design and Construction - On line: posted this article. Imagine what we could grow in Johannesburg!

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has announced that the city of Toronto has passed a new

Green roof by-law with overwhelming support yesterday. The green roof by-law consists of a green roof construction standard and a mandatory requirement for green roofs on all classes of new buildings. The by-law requires up to 50% green roof coverage on multi-unit residential dwellings over six stories, schools, non-profit housing, and commercial and industrial buildings. Larger residential projects require greater green roof coverage, ranging anywhere from 20-50% of the roof area.

"The city of Toronto's leadership on all things green took another major step by making it obligatory to have green roofs for all types of new buildings," said Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, the primary champion of the new by-law. "This bylaw is a major part of the solution to climate change, the creation of green jobs, and it represents a whole new mindset on how our cities approach the 20% or so of surface area that are roofs."  

"Toronto's by-law provides a new opportunity to strengthen the emerging practice of integrated green building design," said Steven W. Peck, president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, which supported the by-law against pressure from developers opposed to the policy. "The by-law breaks new ground on how to structure a mandatory green roof requirement and the construction standard also contains important best practices that may prove to be a model for other cities."

Chicago remains the city with the largest number of green roofs installed, according to GHRC's Annual Green Roof Industry Survey released last week. The mandatory by-law in Toronto may change that, resulting in approximately 50 to 75 new projects annually.

Toronto already requires green roofs on city-owned properties, has established a financial incentive of up to $5 per square foot for existing buildings, and is currently building a publicly accessible green roof on its city hall. The project will be unveiled at CitiesAlive!, the first international green roof congress to be held October 19-22, 2009 with a focus on addressing climate change. See www.citiesalive.org for details.

Get Greencon to help certify your future buildings

Greencon

Green Building Rebates

We at Greencon feel this is the lead (exscuse the pun) local governement should be making to get Green Building Built:

Officials in Portland, Ore. have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the United States. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 square feet or larger, that meet Oregons state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46 per square foot. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Those that achieve LEED Gold, LEED Platinum or the Living Building Challenge, would receive rebates of $1.73-$ 17.30 per square foot depending on certification level.

Based on the same requirements, multifamily residential properties, 5,000 square feet or larger, would also be eligible for rebates of $0.51-$5.15 per square foot. Multifamily projects, 50,000 square feet or larger, that receive city funding must meet LEED Silver standards.

For new single-family residential construction, the proposed program sets performance targets for the percentage of homes certified through either LEED for Homes or Earth Advantage. These targets increase from 20 percent in 2009 to 40 percent in 2011. If the targets aren't met at any point, the city of Portland will set up a feebate structure similar to that used for commercial buildings.

Source: Building design and Construction - On Line 

Get Green Building Certified

Greencon 

Buildings to carry "Green" labels

A new consumer label that would grade all commercial buildings according to their energy efficiency is being developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Known for its development of commercial building code standards, the society's label would measure both the design efficiency and operational performance of buildings, similar to the government's Energy Star program. ASHRAE said it would eventually like to expand the label to include property types not covered by Energy Star. If that effort is successful, ASHRE indicated it would push for an international expansion.

Keep it Green 

Greencon 

Electrical Management Systems

The use of intelligent lighting systems can save up to 60% on power used for lighting. These systems monitor movement and are programmed to switch on at certain times depending on the ambient lighting levels. Because the onus is removed from the the occupant, there can no longer be times when the lighting is left on unnecessarily. Have a look at some houses that are fitted with the systems, and some of the systems available. 

You can contact us here, for further assistance