One of the lesser-known applications for the Silva Cell is what we call “on-structure” — in other words, built on a pre-existing structure, such as a roof or balcony. In the case of the Lincoln Center Barclay Capital Grove, the Silva Cells are being used to grow a thriving bosque of trees on top of… More
(Silva Cells along Bloor Street) Matthew Harris has written a great article over at blogTO, “Will Silva Cells Help Improve Toronto’s Urban Forest?“ His piece gives a good overview of the many projects we have happening in Toronto at the moment — Bloor Street, the Queensway, Sugar Beach, Mill Street, West Don Lands, and more,… More
This set of photos is from a Silva Cell installation along Lincoln Road Mall in Miami, FL. This mixed-use promenade utilized Silva Cells in two areas: to provide additional soil volume underneath concrete mangrove water garden planters, and in a parking area along this iconic pedestrian walkway. James Urban, FASLA and Raymond Jungles, Inc. did… More
Last week I wrote about our Root Barrier product; this week I’ll look at the basics of Geomembranes. There’s a bit of confusion around the terminology for this product, perhaps justifiably so. Let me back up a moment. “Geomembranes” is a generic term that we use to describe two very similar products — BambooBarrier and Water… More
By L. Peter MacDonagh, RLA, ISA, LEED-AP This post has a lot of statistics. If you are tired this may not be the blog post to read. Reading it when you are well rested will probably help. The May 2010 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine has a terrific article in it, “What is a Street Tree… More
The first large-scale Silva Cell installation that we had was at the Olympic Village for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, BC. After being specified by PWL Partnership, a total of around 7,000 Silva Cells were installed by the City in 2007 along the seawall promenade adjacent to the Village. This large-scale installation supplied approximately… More
While the Silva Cell system can be optimized for tree growth or stormwater management alone, ideally we try to promote both simultaneously. Our standard details lay out the basics, but there are still some questions about just how the Silva Cell functions on sites where it is serving as an integrated tree and stormwater management system…. More
When we were first researching and designing the Silva Cell, Tom Smiley, PhD set up a research plot* at the independent Bartlett Tree Laboratory in Charlotte, NC. We were confident about the design principles used in the construction of the Silva Cell, but also wanted to measure exactly how it held up against competitive products… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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