What do you think? A green roof for the HBG Convention Center. (San Antonio: apartment)

[icebrg]

I sent an email to Mayor Hardberger and Councilwoman Cisneros, but got no response. So I thought I would take it to the people. What do you think about turning the roof of the convention center into a green roof?

There are many practical and environmental reasons to go with a green roof among them are reduction of the urban heat island, improved air quality as well as significant cost reduction to heat and cool the structure.

While those are all great reasons a really good one is that instead of tourists looking down from the tower seeing acres of ugly rooftop they will be looking down on a beautiful garden and San Antonio's commitment to the enviroment.

The City of Chicago has many of them. Check these web sites out . . .

Chicago Green Roofs


City of Chicago - Rooftop Garden Photo Gallery

[Bowie]

There are big plans afoot for Hemisfair Park behind the convention center. (Search the forum for "hemisfair" to find the thread discussing the plans.) I suspect this mayor and council won't want a project at the convention center to overshadow the plans for the park.

I imagine you see these projects as mutually exclusive, but I doubt the politicians will.

[dmarie123]

I think it would be great! you should start a petition. 1 voice isn't going to do much good!

[wCat]

I love the idea.....but it has to have a plan, funding and support to get the city interested. Just an "idea" won't float. Do you have a model to make a proposal?
Maybe get an extended branch of the Botanical Gardens involved. CPS and their incentive to xeriscaping (sp?) might be interested. Is this "container" planting? Who maintains it....volunteers, civil servants? Get all the ducks in a row and wow them at a council meeting. I'm sure you'd get plenty of support. I agee ....ugly rooftops are not worth the price of the elevator ride up to the tower. Hey! Get the owners there involved!

[CelesteDF]

I suggest you get in touch with Michael Burke of the SA Clean Technology Forum and Larry Zinn, Mayor Hardberger's advisor on sustainability, to find out what - if anything - may be in the works or how to proceed in advocating for this project.
Larry Zinn: larry.zinn@sanantonio.gov
Michael Burke: burke_michael@sbcglobal.net

[TexHwyMan]

There was an article in the E-N just last week on green roofs:

MySA.com: Metro | State (broken link)

[icebrg]

Bowie, not knowing how the city of San Antonio is run/funded, typically it would have to be a different project from the park improvements project. I have been reading about the Hemisfair Park renovation, but I imagine that any work on the convention center would be mutually exclusive since it is run by a different city department than the park. Different budgets usually mean different projects.

wCat & CelesteDF, I realize it takes more than an idea to float a project at city hall, however I think the reason I received no response from the Mayor and Councilwoman Cisneros is that I am not a resident of the City of San Antonio. I am just a native son, who happens to now live out of state. Not being a constituent, just an interested party, it would be hard for me to convince the City Council to move forward with this proposal. It needs to come from the citizens. I will email the two people you mentioned, perhaps they can get the ball rolling.

As far as maintenance of the roof, from what I have read there is no more maintenance required than a typical roof (other than occasional watering) if it is planted with native species/xeriscaping. Green roofs can be expensive, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. As I have mentioned the biggest benefits are reduced heat island, better air quality, increases in bird and animal species to the area as well as substantial energy use reduction in the building.

As far as the article in the 'Express-News' it appears as though the "green roof" on the apartment building is actually an occupied roof garden, not a true green roof. Although it is better than a typical exposed roofing system, it is not going to offer the value that a green roof will.

[Sigaven]

Sounds like a wonderful idea! ^_^