junctionist
Senior Member
http://www.toronto.ca/greenroofs/
I looked through the bylaw and I think it is a good idea for the long term for Toronto.
One thing I am curious about is if a by-product of this bylaw will be that new buildings in Toronto will have more spires or incredibly angled roofs that would be impossible to include any greenery.
Would an architectural element allow a developer to get around the bylaw? Or would the developer simply have to pay cash-in-lieu of construction of a green roof?
I can't imagine the L Tower, or perhaps the new Ritz Carlton building, being able to have vegetation on its "roof".
I suppose the other question would be if a unique roof of a skyscraper would be more expensive than simply having a green roof.
The City will probably take a practical stance on this and only enforce it where feasible. Spires and angled roofs are also costly for developers. It would probably be cheaper to do that than add soil and plants to a slightly stronger roof structure. It'll be a more significant for wider and lower structures with a bigger roof surface area. Don't count on seeing banquet halls with Ritz-like roofs.