Law: Green roofs on all new buildings

TORONTO, ON, Canada — The City of Toronto recently passed a bill into law that requires mandatory green roof construction on new buildings of all classes, according to a press release.

According to the release, the law requires up to 50 percent green roof coverage on schools, non-profit housing, commercial and industrial buildings and multi-unit residential dwellings over six stories, and requires larger residential projects to have green roof coverage ranging anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of the roof area.

Toronto already requires green roofs on city-owned properties, has established an Eco-roof Incentive Program of up to $5 per square foot for existing buildings and is currently building a publicly accessible green roof on its city hall.

The new law is expected to produce upwards of 75 new green roof projects each year, the release stated.

Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone said: "The City of Toronto’s leadership on all things green took another major step by making it obligatory to have green roofs for all types of new buildings. This law is a major part of the solution to climate change, the creation of green jobs and it represents a whole new mindset on how our cities approach the 20 percent or so of surface area that are roofs."

According to the Annual Green Roof Industry Survey by Green Roofs For Healthy Cities (GRHC), the City of Chicago remains North America's highest concentration of green roofs, the release noted.

Toronto city officials hope the move to make green roofs mandatory will serve as a guide for other cities striving to become more sustainable, the release added.

Click here to read the complete release.