by Brianna Crandall — July 25, 2014—Kipling Acres, one of the City of Toronto’s ten long-term care homes for both seniors and younger adults, now features a planted rooftop of approximately 23,000 square feet. The living, planted roofs are part of a bird-friendly landscape design that will provide residents with improved access to nature.
The LiveRoof Hybrid Green Roof System was grown by LiveRoof Ontario, Inc. the regional grower for the LiveRoof system, and was installed by The Downsview Group. The redevelopment was designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects, and phase one construction was managed by Buttcon Limited.
“The design of the green roof will be very popular with our residents, especially during the warmer weather, as the outdoor landscape includes bird-friendly features that will no doubt enrich residents’ quality of life,” said Nelson Ribeiro, Administrator of Kipling Acres.
Green roofs offer many benefits, including beautification, water management, air purification, fire retardation, improved energy efficiency, and increased marketability. The City of Toronto is a leader in embracing green roofs for their contributions to stormwater management, and was the first North American city to implement a by-law for green roofing, points out LiveRoof.
LiveRoof Ontario, Inc., says it started growing the project last year to ensure that the green roof modules would be fully mature upon installation this spring. The company has provided green roofs on other city-owned facilities, including City Hall’s Nathan Phillips Square podium roof and a number of Toronto Transit Commission stations.
The second phase of the Kipling Acres redevelopment will also include a planted roof of similar size.
