Friday, November 9, 2012
Chicago's City Hall – Rooftop Garden
Chicago’s City Hall
rooftop has varying sections containing soil depths of 4, 6, or 18 inches to
accommodate the different plants and trees. Soils were developed from
lightweight mixtures similar to those used in Germany over the last few
decades. Under the soil is a 12 to 24 inch waterproofing layer that provides
structural support for weights of up to 60 pounds per square inch. The rooftop
is home to over 20,000 herbaceous, 100 woody shrubs, 40 vines, a Cockspur Hawthorn
tree, and Prairie Crabapple tree. The plants and trees are organized to bloom
in a sunburst pattern.
75% of each inch of
rainwater is collected and used before runoff begins to occur. Even more
impressive is the fact that the rooftop is that the air temperature is reduced
by 15 degrees with the actual rooftop temperature being 70 degrees cooler than
comparable, adjacent roofs. The garden rooftop also contributes $5,000 in
annual energy savings. Initial data results have been highly encouraging and
the Chicago City Hall Rooftop Garden is serving as a model for other buildings
with green
rooftops, both in and outside of Chicago.
While the garden is not
normally accessible to the public, Chicago Gateway Green has exclusive footage below
of Bill Kurtis
interviewing Mayor Daley atop the City Hall.
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