With summer just around the corner, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is celebrating the season with an award-winning rooftop garden. On May 29, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and the City of Chicago presented the Nature Museum with a Green Roof Award for Excellence recognizing the beauty and design of its rooftop garden. The award was presented at the Greenings Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference at the Congress Plaza Hotel. The Nature Museum won one of the six categories and was the only winner from Chicago.
The Roof Demonstration Garden at the Nature Museum won the "Retrofit Combination Intensive/Extensive Award." This project provides an opportunity to research the viability of plants and sets the stage for additional garden roof work at the museum. The 2,400-square-foot garden has four progressively thicker green roof systems that are designed to complement the existing architecture. The garden was also recognized for its drip irrigation system and its solar water re-circulating pump.
A national panel of judges that included civic officials, design magazine editors and building and landscape architects selected the winners. This is the first time these awards have been presented.
"We are honored to be recognized for our rooftop garden," said Joseph Shacter, president and CEO of the Nature Museum. "We take pride in the Nature Museum's efforts to be a green building and try to set the standard for others to be environmentally conscious. Our rooftop garden demonstrates practical applications of best green practices but this is only the beginning. We hope to continue to grow our rooftop garden and green more of the building so it is beautiful for our visitors and our city."
According to Steven Peck, executive director of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, green rooftops have several benefits to the building on which they are stationed and the community at large, including stormwater management, urban food production, air pollution reduction, sound reduction, and increased energy savings by increasing roof insulation values.
Admission to the Nature Museum is $7 for adults, $4 for children ages 3-12, $5 for seniors age 60+ and college students. Chicago residents receive a $1 discount off the price of general admission. Museum admission is free on Thursdays.
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