DESCRIPTION

To counteract rising temperatures caused by the urban heat island effect, (an almost 10 degree increase in temperatures compared to the surrounding rural areas, due to the city’s ability to absorb and retain heat) Chicago mandated the installation of green roofs and facades on high-rises in the Loop, to create shade, release moisture and absorb CO2. The Marina City, Chicago’s iconic pair of “corn-cob” skyscrapers, with its semi-circular balconies, became the city’s first vertical forest, providing ideal habitats for plants, trees and shrubs and an oasis for migrating birds.