News

September 17, 2009 -

Across Canada, many municipalities are taking a more “green” posture when it comes to the future viability of their communities.  From water and energy conservation to architectural innovation, the focus is on creating a more sustainable urban environment.

DeepRoot’s patented Silva Cell tree and stormwater management system is playing an increasingly prominent role in many of these renovation and beautification efforts across several Canadian cities. 

Here are profiles of five prominent Silva Cell projects presently underway.

Toronto, ON – Bloor Street Transformation

Considered by many to be Toronto’s most exclusive shopping district, the Bloor Street Transformation (BST) Project is a $25 million undertaking aimed at creating a more pedestrian-oriented shopping area.  The reconstruction of an approximately one mile (1.3 kilometer) stretch of Bloor Street between Avenue Road and Church Street began July 15, 2008 and is scheduled to take two years to complete.

The project involves the installation of approximately 170 trees, accompanied by Silva Cells, and is being handled by Four Seasons Site Development Ltd. of Mississagua, Ontario.

“This was our first exposure to the Silva Cell product and while it is highly labor intensive it is not complicated to install,” said Rohit Bansal, chief executive officer of Four Seasons.  “Being a modular system it is easy to handle and DeepRoot was able to help us develop an estimate for material and labor at the beginning, when we bid the job.”

Bansal estimates the cost of the Silva Cell installation to be approximately $2.5 million, or ten-percent of the overall project.  And while he says not every municipality will be a buyer right now, he has no doubts of the future viability of the Silva Cell system.

“In major urban environments, like Toronto, there is definitely going to be a growing need for this,” Bansal says.  “Conceptually, this is the way to go.”

Toronto, ON – Stormwater “Proof of Concept” (Queensway)

The Silva Cell has primarily been used as a system to provide large volumes of un-compacted planting soil for trees in dense urban settings.  But a complimentary and lesser known advantage to the system is its ability to manage stormwater runoff.

Toronto Water, the city’s water authority, is in the process putting that capability to the test with a proof-of-concept installation on the Queensway, a commercial area between Moynes and Berl Avenue on the South side of the city.

The Silva Cells were filled with a bioretention soil mix (80% sand, 20% soil) that captures all of the water runoff, which is then cleaned and retained, creating a bio-swale underneath the sidewalks and parking bays.

“I was actually very surprised at how easy it was to install the Silva Cell system,” said Mark Maida, project coordinator for Pave-Al Limited, the contractor for the project.  “The excavation and removal of surplus material is consistent with any other road project, although you might have to dig a little deeper to accommodate for the Silva Cells.  Once you see it, everything falls into place.”

The City, with assistance from Ryerson University, is installing monitoring equipment to track the flow and water quality both in and out of the Silva Cells on Queensway.  The first set of performance data is due to be available in Fall 2009.

Vancouver, BC – South East False Creek

One of the prime areas of real estate outside of downtown Vancouver, the new community of South East False Creek,which will serve as the Athletes Village for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, provided a unique challenge for the Silva Cell system.

The City wanted to plant 80 trees in a recently developed seawall promenade along the waterfront, but the existing area did not provide sufficient uncompacted soil volumes to grow the trees.  The decision was made to install a two-deep Silva Cell system under most of the length of the promenade, allowing for the installation of the trees in addition to assisting in the retention, detention and cleaning of rainwater on site.

More than 5,600 Silva Cell frames were used in Phase 1 of the project, providing approximately 1,585 m³ (56,000 ft³) of soil for the trees.  Phase 2 construction continues.

The Silva Cells were also installed through out the SEFC development under the sidewalks and plaza areas for all of the street trees.

“Over the years I’ve seen a lot of trees be planted in urban environments and then suffer because they don’t have any real room to grow,” said Rob Matt, president of Wilco Landscape, the contractor on the project.  “I can see some real benefits around the Silva Cell system.  I think this application will creep into the landscape architect’s bag of tricks and become more mainstream.”

Vancouver, BC – Balcony/On-Structure Installation

The desire for a park-like play area for children on the balcony of a Vancouver condominium led to the first on-structure Silva Cell installation in October 2008.  After having seen a presentation about Silva Cells, the landscape architecture firm of Eckford and Associates wanted to have a large tree as part its unique balcony design at 1808 W 1^st Avenue.

All of the necessary materials – Silva Cells, soil, geotextile and geogrid – were lifted by crane up to the balcony.  Roofmate™ Styrofoam was then used to secure the system into its designated area, reducing the weight the balcony had to bear.

“The real benefit of the Silva Cell is we were able to put soil underneath that patio so that we could have a growing medium for the tree to root through,” said Kent Houston, managing partner of Houston Landscapes who worked on the installation.

Although he had some initial reservations about what was involved with the Silva Cell system, Houston says some “good handholding” from DeepRoot representatives early on alleviated any concerns.  “It is like working with life-size Legos,” said Houston.  “Our company is trying to focus on ‘green building’ practices and I am very interested in pursuing future opportunities with the Silva Cell product.”

Winnipeg, MB  - Broadway Street

The first of three Silva Cell installations in Winnipeg occurred along the north side of Broadway Street on two separate blocks, between Edmonton and Hargrave, and between Donald and Smith.

Two layers of Silva Cells and 10 trees were installed over the two city blocks.  Like many contractors, it was a first-time experience with the Silva Cell system for Dick Penner, co-owner of J&D Penner.  “The people in downtown Winnipeg, what they want more than anything else is more green, and this will allow trees to grow in a better environment,” Penner said.  “But you also need a good estimating team, because it is also fairly labor-intensive.”

Penner is actually managing his third Silva Cell project for the City of Winnipeg, having worked on another installation along King Street in 2008, and coordinating an ongoing project on the campus of the University of Manitoba.

“I think it is a great concept,” he said.  “I haven’t seen anything else in the market that compares.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

DeepRoot Partners: Leda Marritz (415/781-9700 or leda@deeproot.com)