Chicago Building's Green Roof Offers Benefits With Beauty
Roof Lined With Plants
Posted: 10:14 am CDT August 18, 2007
CHICAGO -- The idea of going green -- more than 150 feet in the air -- is getting some attention on a Chicago rooftop.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe green roof of "The Residences at 900 North Michigan" is full of native plants, ornamental grasses and flowers that will bloom year-round.But Chicago's mayor said that the "urban meadow" is functional as well as pretty."The advantages of a green roof include reducing storm water runoff, lowering building temperatures and reducing energy requirements of a building," said Mayor Richard M. Daley.The roof is lined with plants instead of tar, so the building absorbs less heat and requires less air conditioning. The plants reflect the sun's heat, cooling the air and releasing rain water gradually, which reduces the chance of water damage and flooding.A green roof can be a weighty issue, so project manager Douglas Hoerr and his team but sturdy but lightweight Styrofoam under the surface, WISC-TV reported. In the last year, the roof has gone from barren to beautiful."This has been a wonderful experience from what it was 15 months ago. A running track that felt like the Sahara (became) a meadow," Hoerr said.Daley said that the project is one example of the private and public sectors working together to help the environment."Nature can co-exist with the city and that's what you're seeing (in this roof)," Daley said.The Portland area is one of the leading places for these green roofs, but there is a new company in Chicago getting ready to package this type of roof and offer it to area home builders who are looking to take green ideas to the next level.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe green roof of "The Residences at 900 North Michigan" is full of native plants, ornamental grasses and flowers that will bloom year-round.But Chicago's mayor said that the "urban meadow" is functional as well as pretty."The advantages of a green roof include reducing storm water runoff, lowering building temperatures and reducing energy requirements of a building," said Mayor Richard M. Daley.The roof is lined with plants instead of tar, so the building absorbs less heat and requires less air conditioning. The plants reflect the sun's heat, cooling the air and releasing rain water gradually, which reduces the chance of water damage and flooding.A green roof can be a weighty issue, so project manager Douglas Hoerr and his team but sturdy but lightweight Styrofoam under the surface, WISC-TV reported. In the last year, the roof has gone from barren to beautiful."This has been a wonderful experience from what it was 15 months ago. A running track that felt like the Sahara (became) a meadow," Hoerr said.Daley said that the project is one example of the private and public sectors working together to help the environment."Nature can co-exist with the city and that's what you're seeing (in this roof)," Daley said.The Portland area is one of the leading places for these green roofs, but there is a new company in Chicago getting ready to package this type of roof and offer it to area home builders who are looking to take green ideas to the next level. Copyright 2007 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
