Sears, Target go Green

Not the stores, but a couple of major corporate icons shifting towards green, marking a significant trend in the ability of veg.itecture to influence trends. Recent news of two large retrofits are worthy of some attention. First, the much awaited renovation of the Sears tower includes a long list of upgrades (via WAN): "Improvements include removing all 16,000 single-pane windows and swapping with modern replacements, modernizing the tower's 104 high speed elevators, harnessing renewable energy through turbine and solar technology, introducing green roofs to reduce storm water run-off and improve insulation as well as creating the world's tallest vistas for tenants and upgrading facilities throughout to use more efficient technology."






:: images via WAN

It's pretty interesting that many of the images feature the glassy protrusion to the actual massive black original structure, but not the actually retrofit of the tower itself... a little digging unearthed a few more contextual versions of the main building, showing rooftop greening integrated with wind power.




:: images via The Chicagoist

And my favorite photo, although I'm not sure it's from the Sears Tower, is from the pretty substantial tie-downs on these trays... a product of some major wind uplift at work. Somehow it seems like a lot of potential rooftop area not being taken advantage of there... but maybe this is a test plot.


:: image via The Chicagoist

Another significant example of rooftop greening is happening atop the Target Center in Minneapolis. A new 2.5 acre extensive green roof is being installed, making it one of the largest in the country (read more at the Star Tribune)


:: image via Star Tribune