This year there are seven design award categories. Three for extensive green roofs (with six inches or less of growing medium throughout; and three for intensive green roofs (with more than six inches of growing medium). The intensive categories include semi-intensive green roofs as well, i.e., those with a mix of more and less that six inches of growing medium. Three different categories of buildings will be awarded. New and existing or retrofit projects will not be differentiated. Residential buildings can be single family and/or multi-unit. Applicants may submit more than one project for the same, or different award categories. The award categories are:

Intensive Industrial/Commercial
Extensive Industrial/Commercial

Intensive Institutional
Extensive Institutional

Intensive Residential
Extensive Residential

Green Walls

The Selection Process

All award winners are selected by committee.

The Design Awards are selected by a seven-member, multi-disciplinary judging team that includes Architects, Landscape Architects, Engineers and Horticulturists. Submissions are evaluated according to a broad range of weighted criteria including aesthetic, economic, functional and ecological components.

The Research Award is selected by GRHC’s Research Committee, Chaired by Brad Bass of Environment Canada at the University of Toronto.

The Civic Award is selected by GRHC’s Policy Committee, Chaired by Hamid Karimi, Ph.D., Government of the District of Columbia.

2009 Awards of Excellence

In 2009, the Awards of Excellence were presented on Friday, June 5th, 2009 - at the Seventh Annual Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference Awards and Trade Show at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.