Central Michigan University Adds Green Roof to Bioscience Building

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant recently completed the installation of a new 6,700-square-foot green roof on its new, soon-to-be-completed Biosciences Building, where students and staff will conduct both health and environmental research.

The green roof installation began July 22 and was completed July 26 by LiveRoof LLC of Nunica, Mich. Construction on the building itself began in July 2014, and work is slated for completion in September, with classes set to begin in January 2017. The new Biosciences Building marks the largest capital project in the university’s more than 120-year history, and was developed in response to a sharp rise in students pursuing degrees in the biosciences.

The 170,000-square-foot Biosciences Building, which anticipates at least LEED Silver certification, will house a wide variety of science labs; a 112-person capacity active learning classroom; numerous student study, collaboration and meeting spaces; and staff offices, according to a statement by LiveRoof. The Biosciences Building will eventually house 40 research-active faculty members, and the research conducted within the facility will allow the university to grow its reputation as a leader in human and environmental health and research.

“The Biosciences Building interior features abundant daylight, natural wood paneling and other sustainable materials [that] connect this building to its mission and work,” said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president for facilities management at CMU, in a statement. “The LiveRoof green roof and accompanying LiveWall, located inside the building, provide students and staff access to plants, natural views and daylight.”

LiveRoof green roofs are a patented, subterranean modular system that features soil and plants to create a meadow-like aesthetic, according to the company’s website. The installation provides a fully-grown carpet of custom-mix, draught-tolerant sedum plants providing color and function year-round. The green roofs also provide significant environmental benefits, according to the company. They can reduce stormwater runoff by between 50 percent and 90 percent, and can lower interior sound levels by as much as 40 decibels. Further, one square foot of green roof is capable of filtering seven ounces of dust and smog out of the environment per year, according to the company website. Plant photosynthesis also reduces greenhouse gases, and soil and plants provide a protective barrier to buildings, along with a waterproof roof lining, to extend roof life by as much as 200-300 percent.

“Central Michigan University is delivering a preeminent design in the new Biosciences Building,” said LiveRoof LLC Indiana Representative John Aleck in a statement. “This building is designed to support innovative research in bright, breathable laboratories. Providing faculty and students with an open, flexible work-study space will undoubtedly propel these programs to new levels while achieving sustainability stewardship.”

The new Biosciences Building, designed by Stantec Inc., will cost approximately $95 million. The project was supported by a $30 million state allocation as well as by the university’s internal reserves, contributions and proceeds from the issuance of bonds, according to a statement by the university.

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Sidwell Green Roof

WASHINGTON — The Furbish Co., a provider of sustainable roofs based in Baltimore, recently completed the design and installation of a 7,850-square-foot living roof at the private Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.

The project involved replanting of the original roof on the middle school building, where the plants had not adapted well to the more extreme conditions of a rooftop. When the decision was made to replant the roof, officials at Sidwell Friends commissioned Furbish, which then removed the soil from the middle school roof and replaced it with a special soil blend meant to enhance plant growth and drainage within a rooftop environment. Regional plants, like sedges and sedums, were replanted by hand at one-foot centers, allowing room for growth.

Crews also mounded up areas of deeper soil in several locations to better hold perennial accent plants, such as native grasses and spread cuttings randomly across the soil to fill in gaps between plugs. These half-inch long pieces of material will eventually root and create a green carpet.

Furbish will maintain the roof over a two-year contractual period.

Sidwell Friends Middle School, founded by Quakers in 1883, was the first K-12 school in the United States to earn LEED Platinum certification, as the school did in 2007.

The refurbished roof will provide an educational laboratory for its students to learn about the issues surrounding water reuse and conservation. Science teachers plan to use the roof for hands-on learning and research. The green roof will also reduce urban heat island effect and filter rainwater.

Learn more about Furbish Company’s living roofs and walls at www.furbishco.com.

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Central Michigan University Adds Green Roof to Bioscience Building

Sidwell Green Roof