New Ground: Green Roofs and the Future of Urban Comfort

The AIANY Social Science and Architecture Committee is excited to present a program focused on outdoor comfort. This panel invites participants to explore how green roofs can transform our cities and improve the lives of those who inhabit them.

From reducing urban heat islands and managing stormwater to fostering biodiversity and improving mental well-being, green roofs offer a compelling case for rethinking what our rooftops can do. Our guest panelists, representing architecture, engineering, and botany, will examine both the broader social and environmental benefits of green roofs and the practical, technical considerations involved in bringing these systems to life.

Speakers:
Amy Falder, Founding Partner, New York Green Roofs LLC
Sarah Kenney, Architectural Designer, Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Erik Olsen, PE, Managing Partner, Transsolar, KlimaEngineering

Moderator:
Melissa Marsh, Founder & Executive Director, PLASTARC, Inc.

About the Speakers:
Amy Falder is a co-founder of New York Green Roofs, an award-winning firm focused on the design, construction, and maintenance of green roofs in New York City and the surrounding region. A veteran of urban landscaping for more than 25 years, she holds a master’s degree in environmental and plant biology and brings a strong foundation in plant sciences to her work. Falder began her career as a Botanist at the New York Botanical Garden before moving into hands-on roles as a Seasonal Display Coordinator and Division Manager at a leading NYC landscaping firm, experiences that continue to inform her practical, systems-based approach. Today, she and her colleagues collaborate with owners, architects, landscape architects, engineers, and institutions to deliver green roof projects ranging from expansive commercial infrastructure to complex, high-elevation residential amenity spaces across the five boroughs, the East End of Long Island, Connecticut, and the Hudson Valley. Falder and her team are known for creating and sustaining thoughtful, resilient rooftop landscapes that enhance comfort, performance, and everyday urban life.

Sarah Kenney is a designer and researcher whose work investigates the global cut flower industry through an architectural lens. Her research examines both the exploitative and progressive aspects of the trade—including human rights violations, environmentally destructive growing practices, and emerging strategies for socio-economic mobility—using space and landscape as a way to make hidden systems legible. She has presented internationally, including at the II International Congress on Colonial and Postcolonial Landscapes: Architecture, Colonialism and War, and her writing has been published in Oculus magazine. Kenney holds dual Master’s degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the University of Tennessee, where she was a Chancellor’s Fellow, Aydelott Travel Award recipient, and Fulbright Study/Research Award finalist. Alongside her independent research, she has practiced with two award-winning firms, contributing to projects ranging from cultural institutions in China to high-end residential landscapes in the United States. She sees architectural research as a powerful tool for accessing knowledge in spaces where journalists or academics may be excluded, believing that the built environment itself can reveal systems of power, conflict, and possibility.

Erik Olsen is a managing partner at Transsolar KlimaEngineering, an international climate engineering firm that creates exceptional indoor, middoor, and outdoor spaces with a positive environmental impact. He leads the New York team in collaborating with architects, engineers, and building owners worldwide to develop and validate low-energy, architecturally integrated climate and energy concepts. Olsen is recognized for his unique blend of simple, clear communication, technical rigor, and passion for creating delightful, human-centric environments that contribute to our low-carbon future. Educated as a mechanical engineer, he is most excited when sketching and applying first physical principles to explore new ideas.

Melissa Marsh is Founder and Executive Director of PLASTARC, a social research, workplace innovation, and real estate strategy consultancy. Her work leverages the tools of social science and business strategy to help organizations make more data-driven and people-centric real estate decisions. Marsh combines quantitative and qualitative social science research with architectural expertise and is dedicated to shifting the metrics associated with workplace from “square feet and inches” to “occupant satisfaction and performance.” This holistic approach enables PLASTARC to recommend evidence-based interventions that make the built environment more people-centric and responsive, promoting both individual wellness and business success.