Important Note - Inclement Weather
GRIMP Training / Tour Cancellations
Due to inclement weather on Sunday April 23rd, the originally scheduled Green Roof Installation & Maintenance Professional Training will be rescheduled to Wednesday May 31st. Registration details will be posted as soon as possible.
The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Healing Gardens Tour will be cancelled due to inclement weather. Registrants will be invited by the tour guide to visit the site at a later date.
The CALA Powderhouse Tour will also be cancelled due to the inclement weather that we will be experiencing in Boston.
We sincerely apologize for the cancellation of these programming items. We are choosing to prioritize the safety of our training and tour registrants. We appreciate your patience and adaptability.
All other tours that are still on this website will still be operating rain or shine. Please prepare for rainy weather and pack a raincoat and/or waterproof clothing.
At the 2023 Boston Grey to Green Conference, we will be exploring the most recent green infrastructure science, economic valuation, asset management, public policy, technologies, and best practices in design, installation and maintenance. Our goal is to help inform the current policy debate by making the case for a rapid and significant increase in green infrastructure investment, a growing trend worldwide.
This conference will have a strong focus on providing content tailored for designers, contractors, installers, maintenance professionals, and policy makers. This content includes practical information about the implementation and maintenance of green infrastructure systems. There will also be introductory programming to attract new and aspiring industry professionals.
This conference will be hosted on Monday April 24th from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
The Boston Grey to Green Conference is approved for for 7 CEUs from: ASLA, and GRP.
Pending approval for 7 CEUS from AIA.
Student Registration Form
If you are a student trying to attend the conference, please click the button above to fill out the Student Registration Form. Once completed, it will give you a code to obtain the student rate of $60.
When you have the code, please use the button labelled “Register Here” to be taken to the Event Registration Page. Proceed through the page until you reach the payment screen. You will be prompted with a field to enter a discount code. Enter the discount code you were given for completing the student form and obtain the discounted rate.
Boston Grey to Green Conference Sponsors
Conference Overview
April 23 - Tours
Green Roof Installation & Maintenance Professional Training Session (Cancelled)
Due to inclement weather, the Green Roof Installation & Maintenance Professional Training will be rescheduled to May 31st, 2023. Details for registration will be posted as soon as possible.
Tours
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM AND 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: The Boston Medical Center Green Roof
Meeting address: 750 albany street, Boston
Additional info: Attendees with allergies should be aware that there are beehives on the roof. Only 12 people can use the elevator to go up to the roof at a time.
This is a stunning example of sustainable design and urban ecology. Located on the rooftop of BMC's power plant building, this green roof spans over 7,000 square feet, home to over 2600 square feet of growing space for a wide variety of vegetable crops. The farm provides fresh, local produce to BMC's patients, cafeterias, Demonstration Kitchen, and Preventive Food Pantry. Beehives on the farm help pollinate the plants and provide gallons of local honey. It is also provides a range of environmental benefits, such as reducing stormwater runoff, improving air quality, and creating habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. In addition, the roof is used as a space for community events and education, providing a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about the importance of green infrastructure and sustainable design in urban settings. The farm began as the brainchild of Dave Maffeo, senior director of support services and Robert Biggio, senior vice president of facilities and support services. It was designed and installed by Somerville-based, Recover Green Roofs, and is managed by Higher Ground Farm.
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Harvard Science and Engineering Complex Tour: How green roofs play a role and contribute toward an integrated architecture
Meeting address: 150 Western Ave (corner of Western Ave and Stadium Road).
The new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), located on Harvard University’s emerging Allston campus, integrates one of the country’s most diverse and exciting engineering programs into a single 535,000 square feet structure that will accommodate teaching and research laboratories, classroom space, faculty and staff offices, and a host of amenity spaces. Built on top of the existing foundation of a previously-designed life sciences complex that was suspended in 2008, the new facility represents Harvard’s first major academic building project in Allston and as such establishes a strong precedent for the development of outdoor space, street activation, and integration with larger public space networks that are described by the University’s Master Plan. As the home of the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), it defines a new series of environments that support SEAS’ profound commitment to interdisciplinary and collaboration both in teaching and research, and exploits these qualities to create vibrant public spaces at a variety of scales throughout the building.
There will be an additional tour of One Canal on April 24. Please see below for more details.
Photography credit: Brad Feinknopf. Drawing/diagram credit: Behnisch Architekten
April 24
Venue: Fort Point Room, 290 Congress, Boston, MA
Admission: $125 USD for GRHC members; $150 USD for nonmembers
Full day plenary style conference and attached trade show
Detailed Plenary Agenda below is subject to change
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: One Canal Tour
Meeting address: 60 Valenti Way Boston, MA (in front of the gates to the parking area)
Recover Green Roofs worked with One Canal Apartment Group and Copley Wolff Design Group to remediate two green roofs on a multi-use building located at Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway. The existing third-floor terrace and 13th-floor pool deck had seen massive plant die-offs due to an irrigation failure that left plants without water for an extended period.
As part of the remediation project, Recover’s field crew installed a new irrigation system in the nine mounded beds and replaced multiple sections of irrigation across the two roofs. After evaluating other areas of plant failure, we noticed that the mounded beds were being eroded by high winds and so we reduced the height of the mounded beds by removing geo-foam and soil media. After these initial updates, Recover replanted about 95% of the roof, which required manual soil and plant conveyance from the street-level through the building and up to the two roofs. The green roofs have now been restored to their original intention, providing habitat for birds, stormwater retention, and aesthetic appeal for building residents. Recover now manages plant and irrigation maintenance at One Canal to ensure dynamic plant care post-remediation.