Vision

Perched atop the historic North Building in the St. Lawrence Market complex, the two verdant barrel-shaped green roofs stand as living testaments to a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation. These green roofs stand as a testament to the commitment the City of Toronto has to keeping it’s urban environment green, cool, and beautiful.

Design

The green roof for St. Lawrence market was a collaborative design between primarily Adamson & Associates, Quinn Design Associates, Engineering Link, Motus Consult and ZinCo Canada Inc. Pushing the design limits of a sloped green roof, the barreled roof design resulted in green roof pitches of 40 degrees to flat, which was achieved from both the Zinco Georaster® and Floraset FS 75®. Installers Leaf Maintenance with partners Perennial Perspective, were able to strategically install the shear barriers and edging systems to contain the green roof systems, prior to the soil installation by CJ Blowers.

Green Roof Assembly

Due to the barrel-shape of the roof, two different assemblies were used: Floraset® FS 75 on the pitched roof areas and on the steep roof areas a build-up using Georaster®.

Key Challenges

Given the roof is situated high above two of Toronto’s busiest streets, Jarvis and Front St., logistics were challenging. The team worked efficiently to install the entire green roof within 5 weeks of the start date. ZinCo’s engineering and design expertise were pivotal in creating a seamless design and installation process, for which should have been one of Canada’s most difficult green roof projects to date. Area constraints on site and wind exposure were some of the toughest aspects of the project, though the installation team expertly navigated these issues in the heat of summer.