Staying on Top of “Green” Roof”

It was June 2007 when Bi-State Roof System, Inc. put the final touches on the new "green roof" they just installed on the St. Louis Community College Wildwood campus facility due to open in just a few weeks.

As Adrian McWherter, project manager for Bi-State Roof Systems looked on the crane was lifting pallets containing 2' x 2' x 4" deep aluminum pans containing soil, small stones and Sedum plants ready to be placed on the roofing membrane. The roof was becoming "greener" by the minute. By now the combination of the new fresh white membrane, containers of Sedum plants and an area of light colored pavers this roof was beginning to look more like a landscaped garden than a roof and that was the whole idea.

The big question mark surrounding green roofs has been how they will perform over time. Now, after the first four years what does this "landscaped" roof look like, how has it performed, is the owner happy with the roof performance and is it all still in place? The answer is yes to all questions and it is doing just fine, thank you.

This "green roof" is but one component in the total group of components that ranks it as one of the highest rated LEED certified buildings in the St. Louis area. In fact, in a recent listing of the highest-rated LEED-certified buildings in the St. Louis area the St. Louis Community College at Wildwood Campus facility tied for 5th in a listing of the 25 highest LEED-certified buildings. This list was compiled and published by the St. Louis Business Journal in May 2011.

In speaking with John Henry Tetstill, Facilities Manager for the Wildwood Campus and Tom Seger, Lead Stationary Engineer, you could sense the pride and commitment they have in this building and all the "Green" features including the roof. They do some roof cleaning from time to time and a bit of plant weeding needs to take place but that is about all the maintenance the roof needs to continue providing the energy saving benefits that it was designed to do.

It was also pointed out that the plantings on the roof absorb and use much of the rain water that falls onto the roof. The water not used by the plantings drains into two 25,000 gallon cisterns adjacent to the roof which is used to irrigate the adjacent grassy area during a dry spell. This water holding system reduces water run-off from draining to the ground and into the storm sewer system.

This roof also reduces the heat island effect as it quietly goes about its business of keeping water out of the building, saving energy, holding rain water from the storm sewers, and helping provide a beautiful view from the inside to the outside and surrounding areas.

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