| Stormwater Practices for Boston, Massachusetts |
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Location Information |
| Name |
Address |
City |
State |
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| City Hall |
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Boston |
Massachusetts |
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Owner Information |
| Last Name |
First Name |
Email |
Phone |
| City of Boston |
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Designer Information |
| Last Name |
First Name |
Company |
Contact |
Design Date |
| Miller |
Arden |
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Installer Information |
| Last Name |
First Name |
Email |
Phone |
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Web |
| http://www.mass.gov/czm/smartgrowth/lid/boston_lid.pdf |
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| Practice 1 |
Practice 2 |
Practice 3 |
Practice 4 |
Zone |
| Green Roof |
NA |
NA |
NA |
Commercial |
Narrative |
| "The modular garden is the pilot project for what Boston hopes will be the green roofing of the entire City Hall roof. Due to it high visibility on the eighth and ninth floors, the project will also become a resource for developers and individuals interested in exploring green roof technologies, particularly with the inclusion of the educational signs that are to be installed. Subsequent installations of modular plantings are also planned."
"The $30,000 project was funded in part by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Skanska USA, and the Kendall Foundation. The coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC) acted as the beneficiary of the funds."
Beside its ability to reduce stormwater runoff, the benefits of the green roof include:
-Improved air quality
-Lessening the urban heat island effect
-Reducing energy costs
-Reducing noise
-Extending roof life
-Improving aesthetics
-Providing educational benefits
-Earning LEED points
[for more information go to http://www.mass.gov/czm/smartgrowth/lid/boston_lid.pdf]
"The modular garden containers are made up of two by four foot trays composed of recycled materials, containing an engineered growth media approximately two to four inches deep, which is made to be extremely absorbent and lightweight. The light weight of these materials allowed installation on the existing roof without structural adjustments. Because it is modular in nature, the rooftop design can be easily adjusted and rearranged after installation to meet a change in planting schemes, or for maintenance to the roof.
Because some of the plants used for the project were over one year old (having been grown off site prior to installation), they required less maintenance and water than seedlings and new plants. In addition, the perennial sedum varieties have been selected to withstand a range of seasonal conditions typical of the Northeast without the need for regular irrigation and maintenance. The plants require some fertilization within the first two years and occasional deadheading to prevent the gardens from becoming overgrown. The city was able to extend a spigot to the terraces where the plants are watered only on an as-needed basis (i.e., hot, dry conditions). A future project may capture water from the main roof (over the tenth floor) and gravity feed it down to the eighth and ninth floor terraces. Although service contracts by local garden companies or installers can be provided to care for the gardens, Boston chose to use their own maintenance staff to lower costs.
What Were the Obstacles or Lessons Learned?
Since green roofs are a relatively new practice to the area, Boston officials had little information and experience on which to rely for planning purposes. Some risk was involved seeing as the likelihood of success of the modular gardens was uncertain. However, due to the ease of the modular garden technology for retrofitting, officials were willing to press forward.
As with any project, design and installation costs are potential obstacles, particularly when such large capital investments need to be made up front. However, because this was a fairly small-scale demonstration project, the city expected quick results and therefore could justify investments. Private and public partnerhsips for funding were easily forged due to the nature of the historic public site. Boston also applied cost saving measures, such as finding used modules, and providing in-house installation and maintenance services."
http://www.mass.gov/czm/smartgrowth/lid/boston_lid.pdf |
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