Grass out front, grass on the roof. That's the trend these days, a green roof. It's proving to have many more benefits than just making your building look pretty from an airplane. It provides a habitat for wildlife, cools the building, and reduces contaminated stormwater after it rains. Not too bad, green roof.
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"A lot more companies are becoming conscious of building practices. I think as those begin to take hold, a lot more people will look at green roofs as something that will be beneficial in the long run," says Leigh Whittinghill, a graduate student on the green roof research team at Michigan State University.
The university's green roof research team advised Ford Motor Co. on the installation of a 10.4 acre green roof on top of its plant in Dearborn, Mich. The green roof is saving the auto company in heating, cooling and roof replacement costs.
The factory's green roof is also providing a habitat for birds, butterflies and insects and is reducing the amount of contaminated stormwater that flows into nearby Rogue River.
A study conducted by the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University shows that green roofs can help to mitigate the "urban heat-island effect" created when concrete buildings and asphalt surfaces absorb solar energy and turn it into heat.
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