True Nature Foods Rooftop Victory Garden |
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Detailed Project Description
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FUTURE PLANS: Phase II, an 800 square foot area immediately east, is planned for the near future. We have also been working intermittently on a staging area and a better way of getting onto the roof. Funding is being sought.
MAINTENANCE: Peak growing season (May-October): All sprinklers are on a timer and completely automated. Harvesting required at least twice weekly. Seeding 3 times: early spring, early summer, and late summer. Addition of organic fertilizer monthly. Photographic and written observation at least 2 twice weekly for documentation and to update website.
Off-season: Photographic and written observation at least 2 twice weekly for documentation and to update website. Biweekly checks for system stability and periodically after major weather events.
SYSTEM DESIGN AND DUE DILIGENCE:Design and engineering professionals were enlisted to make a successful system in compliance with municipal codes.
The following steps were taken:
1. Existing conditions were carefully documented by a licensed architect.
2. Calculations were made by an Illinois-licensed structural engineer to determine a capacity for what the roof could handle, taking into account the dead loads such as the weight of the system and live loads such as snow, wind, and people walking on the roof. The not-to-exceed structural capacity was 21 pounds-per-square-foot.
3. An overall design was chosen to fit the existing conditions and the very modest budget. The design included the type and weight of growing media (based on complete saturation by water) and other components in the system. The system selected was a simple, cost-effective, loose-laid application atop the existing roof membrane, ballasted by the weight of the growing media and, increasingly, by biomass of plants and root systems.
4. Drawings and calculations were submitted to the Cityofficials, and a permit was issued for construction.
REFERENCES/INSPIRATION: Japanese gardener Masanobu Fukuoka was, however, one of our guiding lights in terms of his low-intensity approach, general attitude toward the production of food, and grace.
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Brief Description
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“Prototype green upfit on a shoestring-budget” - Urban Habitat Chicago
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Location
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Chicago, Illinois
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Date Completed
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DESIGN: 2005-2006 CONSTRUCTION: October 2006 FIRST HARVEST: Summer 2007
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Project Type/System
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Rooftop Integrated Food Production Project
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Objective
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To create a building-integrated food production project on a Chicago roof which provides a safe, secure source of food, introduces beauty into the urban environment, manages site stormwater, mitigates the Urban Heat Island effect through evaporative cooling and moderate-albedo surfaces (0.30), and demonstrates to the public the management of resource cycles in an urban locale.
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Media
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Filter fabric, burlap, erosion control netting, rigid insulation, isolation/slip sheet, soil.
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Size/Dimension
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Phase I area is 960 square feet
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Soil Depth
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Media depth ranges from 3-4” at center to 1/2” at the edges of the system.
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Soil Composition
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Green manure, growing media establishment, attraction of beneficial insects: Burdock, Cleome, Clover, Cosmos, Dandelion, Marigolds compost, mulch, and perlite
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Plant/Vegetables Grown
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Amaranth, Basil, Buckwheat, Collard greens, Eggplant, Green Beans, Horseradish, Tomatoes (yellow pear, grape, beefeater, roma), Lavender, Mushrooms, Mustard greens, Onions, Pepper, Bell Peppers, Chile, Potatoes, Sage, Snappeas, Thyme, Wheat, Zucchini SIGNIFICANT PRODUCE YIELDS: all tomato varieties, collard greens, snappeas, green beans, buckwheat, and amaranth.
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Cost
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$12.50 Source: $5,000 City of Chicago Green Roof Grants Program 2005: Residential and Small Commercial Buildings grant
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Designer(s)/Architect(s)/Developer(s)
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Dave Hampton, Echo Studio
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Engineer(s)
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Louis Shell, Louis Shell Structures
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Landscape Designer(s)
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Michael Repkin, Repkin Biosystems
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Contractor(s)
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Urban Habitat Chicago - Installation, maintenance, and planning
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The next season begins!1181 views
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The planting crew1159 views
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Planting of future crops3400 viewsFuture crops including broccoli, fava beans, green peas, kholrabi, and lettuces. Digging was tough because we’ve established such a tough, living mat of roots and plant matter over the last year, but it will help keep the growing media in place and present a thriving ecosystem to support the new plants.
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Continual growth as the beautiful spring weather warms!1127 views
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