Chicago Architecture
On top of the building is a big rooftop garden, practically a Green Roof, if you will.
And it’s City Hall. Now that’s a green idea. From AFP:
The cooling impact of the gardens is dramatic.
Thermal images taken of the city hall rooftop on a cloudy summer day found it was the same temperature as the air: 74 degrees F (22 degrees C). The black tar roof next door was a scalding 152 degrees F….
It is a 20,000-square-foot oasis perched on top of an 11-story building in the heart of the central business district which hosts more than 150 species of plants, including purple comb flower, juniper and crabapple trees, bittersweet vine and sedum, a succulent, cactus-like plant ideal for green roofs because of its high tolerance for extreme temperatures and minimal need for water.
And honey from the beehives kept in two of the city gardens is sold to raise money for after-school programs.
Now you know what an urban green roof looks like. If only I could get me some of that sweet sweet honey.
