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The Daily OrangeESF embraces technology with eco-roof
By Ally Horn
Posted: 9/12/05, 11:01 PM EST Section: News
While Syracuse University recently opened the new environmentally friendly Martin J. Whitman School of Management building, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry has begun work on their own green project.
For the past three weeks, workers from Lichtenfels Nursery of Johnstown, Pa. have been working on top of Walter's Hall on the SUNY-ESF campus to create a green roof. Green roofs, also called vegetated roof covers, living roofs or eco-roofs, are thin layers of living plants that are installed on top of conventional roofs.
"There are a lot of benefits that come from these types of roofs," said Gary Lichtenfels of Lichtenfels Nursery. "They help in storm-water management. This roof will retain up to 60 percent of the precipitation that falls on it."
This will result in less storm water and debris clogging up gutters and storm drains, he said.
Along with having many environmental benefits, green roofs function as insulators that keep in heat in the winter which results in a lower electric bill. They also reduce noise level inside the building and protect the roofing material. Material that is supposed to last 25 years may last up to 70 or 80 years with a green roof covering it.
The roof will consist of a wide variety of plants including seven varieties of sedum, a plant with a waxy leaf that retains moisture, and talinum, a plant native to the United States. Lichtenfels estimates the current project at SUNY-ESF will cover more than 7,000 square feet, excluding a 2-foot-wide walkway that will run along the edge, and cost $8 to $12 per square foot.
"Yes, it is more costly," said SUNY-ESF President Dr. Neil Murphy, "But we decided that the benefits, like insulation, cooling and storm-water flow were strong merits that mattered to us, and there was a lot of campus interest."
Murphy said SUNY-ESF faculty and students, along with professional landscapers and architects, met about two years ago to discuss putting a green roof on another building on the campus, Baker Laboratory.
For the past three weeks, workers from Lichtenfels Nursery of Johnstown, Pa. have been working on top of Walter's Hall on the SUNY-ESF campus to create a green roof. Green roofs, also called vegetated roof covers, living roofs or eco-roofs, are thin layers of living plants that are installed on top of conventional roofs.
"There are a lot of benefits that come from these types of roofs," said Gary Lichtenfels of Lichtenfels Nursery. "They help in storm-water management. This roof will retain up to 60 percent of the precipitation that falls on it."
This will result in less storm water and debris clogging up gutters and storm drains, he said.
Along with having many environmental benefits, green roofs function as insulators that keep in heat in the winter which results in a lower electric bill. They also reduce noise level inside the building and protect the roofing material. Material that is supposed to last 25 years may last up to 70 or 80 years with a green roof covering it.
The roof will consist of a wide variety of plants including seven varieties of sedum, a plant with a waxy leaf that retains moisture, and talinum, a plant native to the United States. Lichtenfels estimates the current project at SUNY-ESF will cover more than 7,000 square feet, excluding a 2-foot-wide walkway that will run along the edge, and cost $8 to $12 per square foot.
"Yes, it is more costly," said SUNY-ESF President Dr. Neil Murphy, "But we decided that the benefits, like insulation, cooling and storm-water flow were strong merits that mattered to us, and there was a lot of campus interest."
Murphy said SUNY-ESF faculty and students, along with professional landscapers and architects, met about two years ago to discuss putting a green roof on another building on the campus, Baker Laboratory.
