The Green Roof Innovation Testing Lab ("GRIT Lab") is a

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

research facility at the John H. Daniels Faculty for Architecture, Landscape and Design. The only facility of its kind in Canada, the GRIT Lab tests and researches the environmental performance of

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

s, green walls, and solar photovoltaic technologies in Canada to help mitigate climate change. The GRIT Lab is run by a team of

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

civil engineers This list of civil engineers is a list of notable people who have been trained in or have practiced civil engineering. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U ...

, building scientists, and

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

s from the UofT Daniels Faculty, including Director Liat Margolis as well as professors Robert Wright, Dr. Ted Kesik, Dr. Brent Sleep and Jennifer Drake. Related industry partners such as Tremco, Bioroof Systems, and Sky Solar, as well as government agencies including the

City of Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, and other academic institutions are also involved in the project.

History

The GRIT Lab was established in 2010 on the roof of the Daniels Faculty at 230 College Street in Toronto by the Daniels Faculty's Centre for Landscape Research. The opening of the lab came after the City of Toronto introduced a

by-law A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

in May 2009 that required all new developments in the city larger than 2,000 square meters to incorporate a certain percentage of

space. Operations began in 2011 to monitor the performance of the city's recommendations. This is done by testing the effectiveness of various green roofs, green walls, and solar photovoltaic technologies in the Toronto climate. The experiments aim to reveal the optimal construction of green roofs and how to maximize environmental performance. In addition to testing, the lab also offers private educational seminars to related organizations and those interested in green-thinking. To date, the GRIT Lab consists of 48 boxed plant testing beds, a variety of green walls, and its own weather station. Data is regularly collected on soil moisture, flow rates, temperature, rainfall, humidity, solar, and wind to determine which combinations can produce the greatest cooling and stormwater benefit. In 2013, a website was established to share the results of the lab's research with the public. In 2017, the lab moved from College Street to the fifth floor roof of the Daniels Faculty's new home at

1 Spadina Crescent 1 Spadina Crescent, also known as the Daniels Building, is an academic building home to the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto (U of T) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building is situated ...

. The new lab at 1 Spadina focuses on both testing the absorptive qualities of green roofs, as well as the effectiveness of cisterns or holding tanks at keeping rainwater out of storm sewers and the ground.

Awards

In 2013 the GRIT Lab received an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Landscape Architects.

References

External links

* http://grit.daniels.utoronto.ca/ {{coord, 43, 39, 35, N, 79, 24, 03, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark_scale:2500, display=title Laboratories in Canada University of Toronto