Developers and landscape architects are making them happen. Take the case of London at Heritage Station, one of Calgary’s first high-rise LEED-registered condominium projects by Edmonton-based Westcorp Properties. The company will have rooftop gardens and turf roofs on all buildings and podium roofs at its project of four condominium towers totalling over 1,200 residences and 82,000 square-feet of retail spaces.

“Westcorp Properties is committed to improving the environmental foot print on and around all of its developments,” says Randy Ferguson, senior vice-president of Westcorp. “One of the first considerations on new developments or redevelopments is so-called turf roofs.”

“(They are) important to buyers and residents. Our community of buyers is very sensitive to efforts to contribute wisely to environmental improvements that have positive effects on operating costs and are pleasing to the eye. It is no longer merely a benefit for some, but rather is demanded by most.” The increasing demand for green roofs is certainly felt by Deron Miller, landscape architect of the green rooftop at Oslo, Calgary’s first multi-storey BuiltGreen project.

“Oslo is a very exciting project in many ways,” says Miller of Scatliff + Miller + Murray. “A lot of developers wouldn’t even consider green roofs although the benefits are there. They have taken a more long-term strategy saying ‘this is our city and we take ownership of it.’ In terms of the overall project itself, it’s very responsible.”

“Our design philosophy is we look at outdoor green roof areas as capturing lost opportunity,” explains Miller. “They are areas that can be captured as amenities space.”

In his green roof design, he uses drought-tolerant plants, primarily native grasses, interspersed with native perennials.

“So you get year-round excitement ... The grass becomes the background canvas. (In the winter), the beauty of the grass popping out through the snow has a very sculptural look.”

He says Europeans have valued and designed green roofs for years.  In the last seven years, though, green roof technology has developed in Canada and public perception changed.  His company custom grows its own plant materials. “We specialize in urban projects and focus on sustainable design and contextual appropriate design that uses primarily native plants in all projects,” explains Miller.

In the last two years, his firm has completed six green roof projects in Alberta. During the next three years Miller’s firm is so far slated to design at least six green roof projects. His upcoming Alberta condo projects will include Gateway Midtown and Aura Tower.

He designed the terrace level garden patio area at dual tower projects Sasso/Vetro and Nuera 1.0 and 2.0. “We reference it as a very large, private, park-like area with a combination of well-maintained soft and hard landscape features,” says John Sparrow, vice-president of sales and marketing for Cove Properties. “An oasis, or sanctuary in the centre of the city where one can escape to enjoy the outdoors without venturing far from your home.”

Miller is not alone. Landscape architect Rick Gendron says he’s seeing more requests for green roof designs from his clients, too. “The technology has evolved to a point where it’s fairly accessible to most developers,” he says, “and there are a few companies out there who have really streamlined the construction package. It’s almost to the point where it’s an ‘out of the box’ type solution in many cases.”

He explains the City of Calgary’s new bylaws promote “enhanced landscapes” which provide developers the option of doing a more regionally appropriate xeriscape design for a reduction in their landscaped area requirements on their project sites.

“Many developers are starting to understand that a green roof is no longer a maintenance issue for the condo, but a selling feature for the project,” says Gendron.


Why turf is tops
What are the benefits of roof top gardens and turf roofs?
Randy Ferguson, of Westcorp Properties, says a few benefits include:
• A cooling effect in and around the buildings, which reduces CO emissions, lowers occupant costs and saves significant energy;
• A more attractive method of managing     rainwater collection;
• Pleasing to the eye, especially from above; and
• Contributing to environmental certifications such as GO GREEN and LEED.

Green up your balcony
Is your condo balcony begging for a garden to call its own?
Experts Rick Gendron and Donna Balzer offer starting tips on planning your balcony garden:

Know your limits. “Balcony gardens are mostly limited to container gardening, depending on the size of the balcony,” says Gendron.

Check the balcony structure! Before you go ahead, Gendron advises, understand that the planter will weigh substantially more when it is wet. Water weighs 62 pounds per cubic foot. “It’s always good to ensure the balcony structure can support this additional weight.  I’m told people get a bit testy when their balconies collapse and go plummeting to the street below.”

Size matters. Balzer suggests balcony gardeners should use large pots, with only one, two or three plants per pot. Soil will dry out in smaller pots and it is easier to change fewer pots several times a year.
Keep it simple. From your plant choice to design and care, keep it simple and easy, she says.

Stay grounded. Always choose concrete or ceramic pots over flyaway plastic types for outdoor use, says Balzer.

Remember your roots. “Ensure the pots/planters are insulated with rigid insulation so the root systems don’t freeze in the winter,” advises Gendron. “Unless, of course, you garden only with annuals, in which case you’re buying new plants every year anyway.”

Show depth. “Make sure the planters have a decent depth of soil to support plant growth,” he suggests. As a rule of thumb, that’s 150 millimetres (six inches) for grasses and perennials, 450 millimetres (18 inches) for shrubs and 1,200 millimetres (four feet) for trees.

Work your way up. The planters should have free draining gravel at the bottom, 75 millimetres (three inches) usually, says Balzer.