Introduction Green infrastructure has become a widely adopted component of stormwater treatment initiatives across the globe — but can GI be integrated even in the tightest-space built environments, where numerous priorities are competing for the same area? Yes! With a little creative design and the right strategic partners, GI can be utilized in just about any stormwater project. Silva Cells, for instance, have been the go-to solution for dual-purpose green infrastructure for over fifteen years: simultaneously providing stormwater treatment and soil volume benefits. DeepRoot’s newest product ..read more

Introduction It’s August 12, 1884, and geologist Joseph Tyrrell — on the hunt for coal seams in Alberta’s Red Deer Valley — discovers something far different: the first dinosaur fossil ever found in the region, later named the Albertosaurus for its geographical lineage. A hundred years later, the Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, an homage to the man who spawned a fruitful century of dinosaur fossil exploration in Alberta, is opened in 1985. One of the most-visited paleontology exhibitions in the world, the museum retrofitted its exterior plaza area in 2021-22 — complete with welcoming trees that ..read more

1: Can Silva Cells go around utilities? Yes, our modules can be moved and oriented to accommodate most utilities, footings, and other obstacles. Integration with utilities is by no means a barrier to using Silva Cells! Silva Cells are designed to be completely structurally independent, meaning it is not necessary for them to be in a linked matrix for support. The space between Silva cells are adjustable and when combined with our large module size (which offers significantly more room for routing utilities through the cells), makes going around, over and under utilities simple. SMUD HQ_Sacram ..read more

-Supporting and tripling the life expectancy of 67 trees, and helping to shape a sustainable identity for Normal’s Uptown Center: The Circle -The project won half a dozen awards and springboarded the city of Normal into a net positive economy. Halfway between St. Louis and Chicago, sits Normal, Illinois, a town of about 52,000 that borders the metropolitan region of Bloomington. Illinois State University and neighboring Wesleyan University bring a youthful and collegiate vibe to the town. Over the past decade, the town has enjoyed the benefits of the Normal Uptown Renewal Project. The Uptown ..read more

Creating a Standard for a Green Infrastructure Sidewalk This is the first of a series of five posts featuring case studies that illustrate the need for a paradigm shift for how streets and sidewalks are designed and constructed. This new paradigm for Green Infrastructure is based on Creativity, Collaboration, and Compromise (CC&C), and is demonstrated by the streetscape design of landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associates at 300 Front Street in Toronto, Ontario. To turn a sidewalk into Green Infrastructure requires an integrated and coordinated effort, and the sidewalk at 300 Front S ..read more

Independent and large module size with adjustable spacing enables utilities to fit throughout the system.  A question we’re sometimes asked is, “can Silva Cells be cut?” Meaning, can they be modified in the field to fit around obstructions? The short answer is no. We do not advise cutting or in any way modifying individual Silva Cells. Think of it like playing the game Jenga, where you stack up rectangular wood blocks and then take turns removing one block at a time until someone removes the fateful block that makes the stack collapse. As those who have played the game know, some block ..read more