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The ARTC is proud to be part of the Alberta Ecoroof Initiative (AEI), a collaborative partnership which formed to increase public awareness of the importance of ecoroof (green roof) technologies through community outreach, and to undertake local scientific research on the performance of green roofs.
Green roofs have been shown to offer important benefits with respect to having a positive impact on a number of environmental issues affecting our urban areas. These include storm surge, flooding and associated water quality, urban sprawl, poor air quality and reducing the urban heat-island effect (the tendency for the temperature of cities to be warmer than the surrounding countryside).
Climate and Growing Conditions
The Calgary region experiences a number of challenges related to our climate:
While many tried and tested green roof plants grow best in the hardiness zones of 5 to 7, the Calgary region is a zone 3. (A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing). Also, our short growing season and the effect of the Chinook wind provide many challenges. Nevertheless, green roofs are a suitable green building strategy for Alberta.
The Importance of Research
While an interest in green roof technologies continues to grow in Alberta, a lack of information is hindering their widespread development, including:
The project at the ARTC is important because it will help the stakeholders gather valuable information about how green roofs perform in our unique climate, as well as help them to establish local baselines.
The research that is underway at the ARTC will extend over the next two to three years and focuses on three main areas that are important to the success of green roofs in our region:
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plant species and substrate depth and type
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stormwater retention and runoff quality
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thermal performance and energy efficiency
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