Before we hit the roof
In 2005-2006, UHC helped True Nature Foods, an organics cooperative and neighborhood recycling center, become more viable as an example of sustainable renovation for small commercial buildings.
A former automotive shop with uninsulated brick exterior and painted CMU interior walls built in the 1980’s when insulation was seen as unnecessary and excessive mechanical heating and cooling were the norm, True Nature Foods was intended as prototype green upfit on a shoestring-budget.
In late 2005, UHC helped with winterizing to make the cold months less extreme for this poorly insulated building. Future phases were to include other sustainable design strategies such as south-facing trellises with vines trained from the roof garden for shading during summer (anybody got any awning frames they aren’t using?), solar curtains for alternately rejecting and absorbing sunlight, vegetated thermal mass benches for moderation of temperature swings, custom-made solar heaters for collection of radiant energy, and exterior raised planters.
We still might do some of these, but money is always the issue.
The real focus, however, quickly became what customers wanted to buy more of - very fresh produce.
And how much fresher can you get than something grown and harvested from 16 feet away?
On the roof.
That’s right.
(Exerpted from http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/projects/true-nature-foods/)
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