A Green Infrastructure Champion – The Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta, was unoccupied and lifeless for over two decades (1988–2010). Now, the renovated Art Deco building is occupied, integrated with its newly created plaza space and streetscapes with thriving greenery. – A five-year construction renewal project from 2010–2015 included the installation of 3,000 (2X and... More
– The world’s most well-known and recognized stadium, which went from seeing 2 million visitors a year to 9 million by 2016, is getting its entryway revamped complete with green infrastructure. – The sheer scale and complexity of this project required a flexible long-term tree growth solution that accommodated numerous underground utilities. – Silva Cell... More
The installation experience with Silva Cells is the most efficient on the market. Part of what makes the installation process straightforward, smooth, and easy is how our contractor partners fill the Silva Cells with soil. The Silva Cell was designed with ease of construction in mind, keeping the needs of the tree in the forefront.... More
Creating a Standard for a Green Infrastructure Sidewalk This is the first of a series of five posts featuring case studies that illustrate the need for a paradigm shift for how streets and sidewalks are designed and constructed. This new paradigm for Green Infrastructure is based on Creativity, Collaboration, and Compromise (CC&C), and is demonstrated... More
– Silva Cells help deliver on-site stormwater management that integrates water, soil, and tree roots through bioretention. – Eight trees each have 800 ft3 of soil and manage 1,600 gallons of stormwater at The Guild Lofts with 282 2X Silva Cells. – Water is captured on-site from the roof to the ground. The plaza where... More
A question we’re sometimes asked is, “can Silva Cells be cut?” Meaning, can they be modified in the field to fit around obstructions? The short answer is no. We do not advise cutting or in any way modifying individual Silva Cells. Think of it like playing the game Jenga, where you stack up rectangular wood... More
-1,800 Silva Cells lie below six blocks of the streetscape and a 2-acre open plaza space of New York City’s Waterline Square. -Waterline Square is a brand-new complex on West End Avenue, between 59th and 61st Streets in New York City. It is a five-building project that started back in 2012 at Riverside Center and... More
Developing Green Infrastructure in Cities Requires a Paradigm Shift The imperative of dealing with climate change has generated the need for cities to develop “green” infrastructure. The development of green, environmentally ethical, infrastructure needs upstream support from politicians and policymakers to succeed. It also requires fundamental changes downstream to the way plans for streets and... More
We have a lot of resources about implementing minimum soil volumes for urban trees on this blog. Recently we’ve updated our list of municipalities that have a minimum soil volume standard. Trees need an adequate volume of root, oxygen-rich soil to thrive, and minimum soil volume policies are a powerful tool for arborists and other advocates... More
When the University of North Carolina (UNC) set about constructing a showpiece science building designed to offer space for world-class research, it seemed only fitting that both the interior and exterior would rise to the highest sustainable standards both architecturally and environmentally. In 2010, University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill embarked down a sustainable... More