Green Roofs For Healthy Cities' Releases 10^th Awards Of Excellence Winners

Massachusetts Restaurants Grows Freshest Rooftop Food

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence. Jeffrey L. Bruce, Chairman of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, announced the winners in the lead-up to CitiesAlive: 10th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference (October 17 to October 20, 2012) in Chicago, IL. www.citiesalive.org

“On this 10th Anniversary of the CitiesAlive conference, we are proud to celebrate Awards of Excellence winners that are pushing the boundaries in innovation for living architecture,” said Mr. Bruce. “The Awards process is always extremely competitive and this year in particular, which saw unprecedented 115% growth in the market in 2011, Award winners should be very proud of their accomplishments.”

GRHC President Steven Peck added his congratulations.  “These winning projects showcase the economic, social, and environmental value of living architecture in a wide variety of buildings, from restaurants and condos to office buildings and environmental organizations. They are tangible examples of the CitiesAlive 2012 theme „Building a Legacy of Outstanding Performance‟ and the value of holistic design practice.”

The Awards will be presented at CitiesAlive: 10th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference at the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago, IL, on Friday, October 19, at the Awards Luncheon.  CitiesAlive is presented with co-host the City of Chicago.  Please visit www.greenroofs.org for more information about GRHC awards (including photos and background materials). Please visit www.citiesalive.org for conference and event registration, and media accreditation.

2012 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
See photos and detailed descriptions at www.greenroofs.org

Green Wall Award
Project: Corus Quay, Toronto, ON
Award Recipients: Diamond Schmitt Architects (Architect) & Nedlaw Living Walls (Green Wall Specialist)
Located on the edge of Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto, Corus Quay is the principal catalyst for the city‟s waterfront regeneration. The building‟s five-story green wall is a stunning representation of this rebirth.

Green Roof – Extensive Institutional
Project: Center for Urban Waters, Tacoma, WA
Award Recipient: Swift Company, LLC (Landscape Architect)
Part of a new shared research facility for the City of Tacoma, University of Washington Tacoma, and The Puget Sound Partnership, the Center for Urban Waters‟ green roof looks beautiful while also providing a multitude of educational opportunities.

Green Roof – Extensive Industrial/Commercial Award
Project: Halifax Seaport Farmers‟ Market, Halifax, NS
Award Recipient: Lydon Lynch Architects (Architect)
This colorful green roof overlooking the Atlantic not only provides much needed stormwater management but also serves as a very popular community hub that educates the public on green infrastructure.

Green Roof – Extensive Residential
Project: The Royal York Condominium, New York, NY
Award Recipient: Town and Gardens Ltd. (Design, Install, and Maintenance)
This new green roof above the parking garage at the Royal York Condominium offers unique design and therapeutic relaxation to condo residents.

Green Roof – Intensive Industrial/Commercial Award
Project: The Ledge Kitchen & Drinks, Dorchester, MA
Award Recipient: Recover Green Roofs, LLC (Design and Install)
The rooftop farm on The Ledge provides a great example of a restaurant using its garden to provide fresher produce to its patrons, educate its staff, and minimize the supply chain.

Green Roof – Intensive Institutional Award
Project: Chicago Botanic Garden – Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, Chicago, IL 
Award Recipient: Chicago Botanic Garden (Client)
With almost one million annual visitors, the Chicago Botanic Garden‟s green roof must adhere to the highest aesthetic standards while conducting plant performance research, both of which it succeeds at outstandingly.

Green Roof – Intensive Residential Award
Project: One Cole, Toronto, ON
Award Recipient: Diamond Schmitt Architects (Architect)
Situated on the first condominium built in Regent Park‟s 25- year reconstruction, this beautiful rooftop park offers residents of all incomes a chance to build a new neighborhood identity together.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is presenting CitiesAlive: 10th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference, in partnership with the City of Chicago. This event will feature leading-edge designs, new technical performance research, policy research, professional training and tours from October 17-20, 2012. See www.citiesalive.org for agenda details, media passes and registration information. Please contact Tamara Lee for information on media passes (tlee@greenroofs.org).

About Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is a membership-based industry association developing the green (vegetative) roof and wall industry in North America. GRHC‟s mission is to increase the awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of green roofs and green walls, and other forms of living architecture through education, advocacy, professional development and celebrations of excellence. For more information, visit  www.greenroofs.org.