Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013 - (Page 1)
FROM THE FOUNDER
Human HealtH, Resiliency
and living aRcHitectuRe
I
n 2011, the United States
experienced a record of 14
extreme weather related disasters, each causing in excess of
$1 billion in damages and many
more on a smaller scale. Recently, Hurricane Sandy pummelled New Jersey and New
York so hard that the economic
impact will likely top $60 billion. In this issue, we examine
several aspects of the relationship between resiliency in the
face of disaster, human health
and living architecture. On page
12, several of our colleagues
share with us short stories of
how their green roof and wall
projects fared under the punishing winds and rains of Hurricane Sandy.
Disasters like Sandy and Ka-
trina in 2005 have an enormous
impact on our grey infrastructure, on ecosystems and on
the human health, livelihood
and well-being of those affected. Scientists are now in full
agreement that climate change
intensifies extreme weather
events. Many scientists and
engineers have been stressing
the need to adapt to climate
change by focusing on reducing exposure and vulnerability,
and increasing our resiliency
to the negative impacts of climate extremes like hurricanes,
droughts and flooding. A 2012
report, “Managing the Risks of
Extreme Events and Disasters
to Advance Climate Change
Adaptation: Summary for
Policy Makers,” prepared by
the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, states that under current modeling scenarios, a 1-in20-year hottest day event is
likely to become a 1-in-2-year
hottest event for most regions
in North America by the end of
the 21st century. Moreover, the
1-in-20-year extreme maximum
daily temperatures will likely
increase from 2 to 5 degrees C
across much of North America
by the late 21st century (10).
More energy contributes to
more intense rainfall and
shorter duration. The report
states “on a range of emissions
scenarios…a 1-in-20-year annual maximum daily precipitation amount is likely to become
a 1-in-5 to 1-in-15 year event
by the end of the 21st century
in many regions.” At a regional
level, these impacts may be ever
more pronounced, according to
a study by the City of Toronto.
See chart from the City report
on climate change projections
by 2040.
Living architectural systems
have the capacity to contribute
multiple solutions to many (not
all) of the problems posed by
climate extremes. For example,
the cooling effects of green
roofs and walls are well documented in their ability to help
reduce the urban heat island
effect, which reduces energy
consumption and air pollution.
The ability of green roofs to
delay, slow, capture and retain
stormwater is well established.
Moreover, both of these technologies can be designed to
produce food, and help to purify water, which during a time
of crisis, could come in very
handy.
The direct healing benefits of living architecture are
also well documented, and
described in our On the Roof
With… interview (pg. 4) with
visionary leader Gail Vittori,
co-director of the Center for
Maximum Potential Building
Systems, who developed the
Green Guide for Health Care in
2001. The Clients’ Speak (pg.
14) is a new piece that explores
living architecture benefits
from the perspective of hospital
administrators. Hospitals, it
turns out, may in fact be the
ideal places to utilize living
architecture to establish ‘islands of resiliency’ in the face
of community disaster—places
where citizens can go to find
clean water, food and power,
even as flood waters rise, fires
burn or buildings topple!
We have only begun to turn
our thoughts to adapting to the
emerging extreme climate challenges we are certain to face
this century. At CitiesAlive in
San Francisco this October, we
will share what we know about
living architecture and community resiliency. We are far
from fully understanding the
hidden potential of how living
architecture systems can help
our communities cope when
various disasters strike.
Sincerely,
Steven W. Peck
Founder & President, GRHC
FIND OUT MORE
Managing the Risks of Extreme
Events and Disasters to Advance
Climate Change Adaptation:
Summary for Policy Makers
http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/
images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf
LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SpRING 2013 / 1
http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf
http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf
http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013
Contents
From The Founder
Strata
On the Roof With...
Policy and Standards
Current Research
Living Architecture Meets Hurricane Sandy
How Healthy Is Your Hospital?
Leadership
Product
Plant
Conference
Project
Project
Project
New Corporate Members
Professional Calendar
GRHC Board Member Updates
GRHC Buyer’s Guide
The Lucky 7
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013
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