GRIT Lab researcher Scott MacIvor and principal investigator Liat Margolis received a MITACS Accelerate grant supporting research with industry partner Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc. (STLAi).

As part of the collaboration, MacIvor will work to improve the ecological integrity of green roofs by integrating findings from the GRIT Lab into ongoing projects with STLAi. The grant will also allow MacIvor to quantify the habitat value of Toronto’s existing green roofs using the new City of Toronto Guidelines for Biodiverse Green Roofs, which he co-authored with Torrance and others. This project will allow the researchers to examine the state of green roofs in Toronto and make the results publicly available, which will help them to better promote the benefits of Toronto's green roof infrastructure.

ESRI  Canada Green Roof, Toronto by Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc.

Scott MacIvor is a PhD student in Biology at York University studying ecological networks of pollinating and pest controlling insects in urban and fragmented landscapes. At GRIT Lab, MacIvor’s research is centered on green roof performance and integration of ecosystem function in green infrastructure.

Scott Torrance is a registered landscape architect with extensive professional experience. His firm, Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc., is a client-focused practice dedicated to client service and sustainable design excellence in the public, private and corporate sector. The firm has received a number of design awards, most recently a 2012 National Urban Design Award and a 2013 CSLA Regional Honour for the West Toronto Railpath. Torrance received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Toronto in 1994.

Liat Margolis is Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Daniels Faculty. She was Director of the Materials Collection at Harvard Graduate School of Design and Director of Research at Material ConneXion, where she developed a material database and consulted to a broad range of design firms and manufacturers. At gritlab, Margolis is responsible for the experimental design and construction of the lab facility and manages a multidisciplinary team of researchers and industry partners.