As more and more ways to utilize mother nature is finally coming into the awareness of the big companies in America and North America, we see others jumping on the band wagon and that’s a great thing! I guess it’s always better late than never, and so it is happening, and mutable cities are joining in to help our environment and in turn help all of us and our children to come.

Denver City Council has approved the reviewed and revised Green Roof Ballot Initiative, which was supported by a majority of Denverite’s in the November 2017 election. The original version of the initiative required green roofs on all new and existing buildings.

A 24-member technical committee formed after the election expanded the number of options available to building owners, as most existing buildings do not have enough loading capacity for a green roof.

The revised version gives building owners that need to replace a roof the option to implement a reflective one, along with either renewable energy, support for other forms of green infrastructure, LEED Silver or equivalent, implement higher efficiency measures or provide financial support for offsite green space. New buildings will have eight compliance options, including a green roof, solar array covering 70 percent of the roof, LEED Gold or energy efficiency measures 12 percent greater than the current energy code.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of our advocacy efforts in Denver, more than a year and half in the making,” said in prepared remarks Steven Peck, founder & president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the non-profit industry-based association that advocated in support of the original ballot initiative. “Many of our members stepped forward to support this effort, with funding for citizens and technical support. More and more cities are realizing that their rooftops are valuable assets and with new policies, they can deliver storm water management, reduce the urban heat island, save energy, support biodiversity and contribute to much needed green space,” he added.

Denver joins a growing list of cities that are implementing policies and programs that use roof space to support healthier and more sustainable communities. The list of cities includes Cordova, Spain; Toronto; Paris; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Copenhagen, Tokyo, London and Chicago. New York City and Vancouver, Canada, are currently considering mandatory green roof legislation.

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Last November, Denver voters passed the Denver Green Roof Initiative (I-300). Starting Jan. 1, 2018, construction of any building in the city of Denver with a gross floor area of 25,000 square feet or greater must include a green roof, also known as a living roof, covered by vegetation, solar panel installations or a combination of both.

While the bill supports important environmental implications to mitigate Denver’s growing ozone and pollution output, it places new construction projects and buildings in need of repair at risk of strict regulations, highly increased construction costs and possibly the halting of projects and expansion.

If your project has a gross area of 25,000 square feet or more a Green Roof declaration form is needed. Pages four and five of the form detail the requirements for complying with Denver Green Roofs construction and requirements to request an exemption.

The Green Roof Initiative not only affects the construction and real estate industries but is also having an impact on the insurance industry as well. With the new initiative, few underwriters or claims adjusters are well informed of the nuances of these projects and precedence has not yet been set as to how claims will be settled. 

Let’s say you have a covered loss and your building is over 25,000 square feet. Your insurance will cover you to replace it as it was, but now you have the burden of adding the living roof and/or solar, which would quickly make the project more expensive. Many policies have coverage for increased cost of construction (building ordinance coverage), though typically the limits are low and don’t contemplate the significant costs the green roof will require to account for the increased structural loads, drainage, engineering/design work, and greenery/solar panels.