We spill a lot of ink on this blog on topics like policy, history, research, and opinion as they relate to green infrastructure. That’s great – and we’re going to keep doing it! – but where trees are concerned, sometimes it’s before and after photos that tell the most compelling story. Pictures document change in a… More
Mississauga Civic Centre is a 37,280 square meter complex that houses the Mississauga City Hall, a towering monument of post-modern architecture designed by Edward Jones and Michael Kirkland that opened in 1987. Although it received numerous accolades, the surrounding campus and Civic Square suffered from mid-century design perspectives on public spaces, catering toward keeping people… More
The Silva Cell is well known as a suspended pavement system that provides large soil volumes to aid tree growth and health. Less well known is the capacity of the Silva Cell system to provide onsite stormwater management. Whereas traditional stormwater management has focused on collecting stormwater in piped networks and transporting it offsite as… More
In 2008 the City of Sunderland released their comprehensive Central Area urban design strategy, outlining their vision for revitalizing the city centre by improving pedestrian accessibility, creating a people-focused identity, enhancing the public realm, and bringing forward major regeneration projects that would help to attract investors and improve quality of life for residents, workers, and… More
In January 2011, two live oak trees on the Auburn University campus were deliberately applied with an herbicide used to kill trees (Spike 80DF, also called tebuthiuron) in lethal amounts. The trees, located at an entrance to the University known as Toomer’s Corner, had traditionally been used as a gathering area for Auburn fans following team victories. The… More
“What about utilities?” This is probably the most frequently asked question I hear on projects where the Silva Cell is being used. And I get it! Utilities are an extremely important consideration. As DeepRoot’s technical manager, I am often the person responsible for explaining what the different options are for working around utilities in pre-construction… More
Downtown Fort Worth, Texas was a popular hangout for outlaws, cattleman, gamblers, cowboys, and many legendary names from the glory days of the Old West. The site’s historic architecture and rich heritage has been preserved through the development of Sundance Square, a 35-block collection of restored and replicated turn-of-the-century storefronts, outfitted with colorful landscaping and… More
In 2012 Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) committed a £15 million investment in Llanelli and Gowerton to help alleviate the risk of flooding in the area through the adoption of retrofit SUDS, or sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, that utilize greenspace and trees to prevent flooding by allowing rain to soak into the ground or slowly re-enter… More
Today we’re sharing a Silva Cell practitioner’s field checklist that we created to help designers determine the most appropriate and high-priority locations for Silva Cells based on site considerations and project design goals. Remember that these are only guidelines; a variety of site factors will influence how and where this product should be used. This… More
In the seven years that the Silva Cell has been on the market, a number of cities have designated it as an approved technology for their sustainability goals, whether for tree growth, on-site stormwater management, or both. Here is a list of all the places, organized by state/province, that include it in their policies.
How do the stormwater benefits of Silva Cell suspended pavement tree/soil systems compare to the stormwater benefits of traditional bioretention systems? Since the mechanisms by which the tree and soil provide the stormwater benefits in these systems are the same as those in traditional bioretention, we expected the benefits to be comparable as well. The… More
For the last two weeks in December I’m be re-posting some of my favorite blog posts from this year. Today’s shares some of the most exciting news we got in 2013, when the Washington State Department of Ecology recognized the Silva Cell as being functionally equivalent to a rain garden. Scroll all the way to the… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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