Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012 - (Page 10)

CURRENT RESEARCH ON THE ROOF WITH… gREEN ROOFINg INDUsTRY sEEs TRIPLE DIgIT gROwTH! by: pAUL ERLICHMAN GRHC INDUSTRy SURVEy SHOwS 115% INDUSTRy GROwTH IN 2011 E very year since 2004, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) has conducted an independent survey of its Corporate Members, collecting data on the growth and composition of the green roof industry across North America. A cross-section of Corporate Member data is independently compared with the previous year to derive the annual growth rate of the industry. The full data set is made available to all of our Corporate Members as a membership benefit. This year’s Green Roof Industry Survey found the North American industry grew by 115 per cent in 2011, the largest growth rate recorded since the first survey was conducted in 2004. This is up from a 28.5 per cent growth rate recorded in 2010 (See growth chart below). Annual growth rates are derived by averaging the square footage recorded by a representative sample of Corporate Members from year to year. This provides a more accurate value for the growth rate than square footage totals. As in past years, there is a fairly even split between public and private green roof projects, and extensive green roofs far outnumber intensive. In total, the projects reported represent 4,577,935 square feet installed in 2010, up from the 4,341,394 reported installed in 2009. The number of green roofs reported likely falls significantly short of the actual number completed, as Survey totals do not include the numbers of non-responding Corporate Members and nonmembers. The next chart illustrates the North American Metropolitan Regions that have been the leaders over the past eight years in installing green roofs. Chicago has been the leader in installing green roofs in North America since 2004, and will be the site of CitiesAlive: 10th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference, co-hosted with the City of Chicago from October 17-20, 2012. Washington, DC, New York City, and Toronto have also been leaders in the green roof market. Unsurprisingly, these cities have been proactive in the creation of green infrastructure policies and incentives, supporting the growth of their local green roof industry and ensuring a healthier environment for future generations. The growth of the green roof industry can also be attributed to the Green Roof Professional (GRP) accreditation program. There are now more than 500 GRPs across North America. A green roof boom in Washington, DC, bolstered by some very large projects, has vaulted it into first place for most square feet of green roofs installed in 2011. Rounding out the top 5 are Chicago, New York City, Toronto, and Nashville (see below). Despite this excellent growth, across North America there remains enormous potential for future growth as the total percentage of rooftops with green roofs remains low relative to the full potential which is billions of square feet. Local and regional government support through policies and incentives have undoubtedly aided success in these leading cities. As other governments recognize the environmental, economic, and social values of green roofs through legislation and financial support, we will undoubtedly see other regions joining these leaders. A special thanks to all of our members who completed the industry survey over the years. Paul Erlichman is the membership coordinator at Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. FinD OUT MOrE Download the industry report at www.greenroofs.org/resources/201 2GreenRoofIndustrySurvey.pdf ESTIMATED GROwTH Of NORTH AMERICAN GREEN ROOf INDUSTRy TOp 10 NORTH AMERICAN METRO REGION GREEN ROOfS INSTALLED IN 2011 (Square footage Installed/year) (Square footage Installed/City) LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SUMMER 2012 / 10 http://www.greenroofs.org/resources/2012GreenRoofIndustrySurvey.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012
Contents
Letter from the Chairman
From the Founder
New Standard on the Use of Lightweight Aggregate
Urban Agriculture Declaration Caps Amazing Summit Debut
Economics of Biophilic Design
Brad Rowe, David Spalding, Cornelia Oberlander, Paul Kephart
Green Roofing Industry Sees Triple Digit Growth
Green Roof Local Market Symposiums
Industry Professionals Weigh in on Growing Media Quality Control!
CitiesAlive in Chicago Oct 17th – 19th
Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition Changes our Perspectives on Infrastructure
Improving Tax Abatement
10th Anniversary Commemorative Pull Out Section
Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market
Leadership Knows No Bounds- Virginia Russell
Policy Profile- A Home for Biodiversity on Green Roofs
New Industry Products
Plant Profile: Chives Thrive on Green Roofs
Half a year, Full-Fledged Growth
In God We Trust – All Others Bring Data!
New Corporate Members
Professional Calendar
GRHC Buyers Guide
Green Supremacy by Zach Williams

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2012