May 31 2006
Tecta America Corp., the nation's leading commercial roofing contractor, headquartered in Skokie, is working in conjunction with the Chicago Center for Green Technology [CCGT] to install a living green roof display in the lobby of CCGT, located at 445 North Sacramento Boulevard in Chicago. The display, which will be assembled and delivered to CCGT on Wednesday, May 31 at 11:00 AM, will be a living exhibit which illustrates two types of green roof: extensive, and extensive with slope.
Currently CCGT has a 3,000 square foot extensive green roof on a portion of its rooftop, and while it is accessible to visitors and tour groups at certain times of the year with a CCGT staff member as a guide, the TectaGreen display will allow visitors to see a green roof display year-round, regardless of weather conditions.
"The purpose of Chicago Center for Green Technology is to advance and promote green buildings, homes, and communities, to enhance the quality of urban life," said CCGT director, Stephen Bell. "We do this primarily through education and demonstration. We're grateful to Tecta America for helping us to promote our mission by allowing visitors to see the layers of a green roof membrane system up close and personal -- which is something many visitors want to learn more about," Bell continued.
The TectaGreen green roof display is being constructed by Tecta America's Anthony Roofing and will show a cross-section of a multi-layered green roof. The dozens of live plants, which comprise the green roof display will primarily be sedum plants of many varieties. The display will be cared for by CCGT staff.
The green roof display is the culmination of an effort by CCGT and Tecta America to jointly promote green roof awareness in Chicago, and is similar to a display by Tecta America which recently won the attention of Mayor Daley during Chicago's Building and Design Exchange Expo last year, where Daley was the keynote speaker.
The timing of the display installation coincides with a recent announcement by the city about a pilot program whereby owners of downtown buildings who choose to build a green roof could be eligible for matching grants from the city of up to $100,000.
Tecta America will also host and facilitate a series of green roof seminars at CCGT in the upcoming months. The lectures are free and open to the public.