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Abstract
This paper provides a detailed case study for the planning and construction of the City Hall Green Roof in Chicago. In 1998 Mayor Richard M. Daley asked a simple question that would later garner international attention, lead the way for policy change, and forever alter Chicago’s skyline: “Can Chicago construct a rooftop garden on City Hall?” The flagship project in Chicago’s Urban Heat Island Reduction Initiative, the City Hall Green Roof is the first of its kind in Chicago City Government. The goals for the project were threefold: 1) research the available green roof technology and determine how this technology could be utilized on City Hall; 2) design and construct a green roof on City Hall to showcase a myriad of design concepts; and 3) study the effectiveness of the green roof in lowering ambient air temperatures, conserving energy, and reducing stormwater runoff. Providing a green roof retrofit on City Hall proved to be a daunting task as City engineers were faced with permitting, structural, and maintenance issues that threatened to push the project over budget and behind schedule. Despite the above issues, Chicago completed its green roof in Spring 2001. Viewable from surrounding office buildings, the City Hall Green Roof occupies 22,000 square feet and contains 20,000 plants, consisting of more than 100 varieties, including mosses, sedum, forbs, grasses, shrubs, vines, and two trees. City engineers are monitoring ambient airtemperature, wind speed, wind direction, and rainfall for both the City Hall Green Roof and our control surface, the adjacent Cook County Building that utilizes a black tar roof. The lessons learned from the City Hall Green Roof project are being applied to transform Chicago’s barren rooftops into urban oases.
This paper provides a detailed case study for the planning and construction of the City Hall Green Roof in Chicago. In 1998 Mayor Richard M. Daley asked a simple question that would later garner international attention, lead the way for policy change, and forever alter Chicago’s skyline: “Can Chicago construct a rooftop garden on City Hall?” The flagship project in Chicago’s Urban Heat Island Reduction Initiative, the City Hall Green Roof is the first of its kind in Chicago City Government. The goals for the project were threefold: 1) research the available green roof technology and determine how this technology could be utilized on City Hall; 2) design and construct a green roof on City Hall to showcase a myriad of design concepts; and 3) study the effectiveness of the green roof in lowering ambient air temperatures, conserving energy, and reducing stormwater runoff. Providing a green roof retrofit on City Hall proved to be a daunting task as City engineers were faced with permitting, structural, and maintenance issues that threatened to push the project over budget and behind schedule. Despite the above issues, Chicago completed its green roof in Spring 2001. Viewable from surrounding office buildings, the City Hall Green Roof occupies 22,000 square feet and contains 20,000 plants, consisting of more than 100 varieties, including mosses, sedum, forbs, grasses, shrubs, vines, and two trees. City engineers are monitoring ambient airtemperature, wind speed, wind direction, and rainfall for both the City Hall Green Roof and our control surface, the adjacent Cook County Building that utilizes a black tar roof. The lessons learned from the City Hall Green Roof project are being applied to transform Chicago’s barren rooftops into urban oases.
Date
5/2003
5/2003
Author(s)
Kevin Laberge
Kevin Laberge
Page(s)
Keyword(s)
green roof; Chicago City Hall; urban heat island; urban oasis
green roof; Chicago City Hall; urban heat island; urban oasis