Specs: 4,700ft of green roof. Viewable from a deck surrounded by intensive roof plantings
The Forest Resources building is a new building finished in 2006. It is a 4,700 square feet demonstration and display roof that was installed in the fall of 2006 and planted in the spring of 2007. The roof was planted as a sedum meadow roof with four inches of a lightweight aggregate media that is mounded up to 12 inches around a patio deck. This roof contains a drainboard making it a multicourse extensive system. The patio deck is accessible during normal university hours from the Forest Resources Building.
The green roof covers a 1 story section of the building that houses classrooms and an auditorium. The green roof was installed in 2 phases after the building was complete. The original roof over this section of the building was a white reflective roof that was exposed for 1 season before the green roof was installed. This white roof membrane reflected the sun into the offices and building atrium heating the building and adding to the air conditioning load. The green roof has eliminated this heat load from the building. The geotextiles media and were installed in the late fall of 2006. The roof was planted in the spring of 2007. The green roof was installed and planted by Scott's Landscaping. The initial designs were done by Roofscapes Inc. The roof has an observation deck that can be accessed from the 2nd floor landing of the atrium stairs during business hours. The roof is being used as a teaching and demonstration project and has hosted a number of classes and conference tours. The project is managed by the Penn State Office of Physical Plant (OPP) and routine maintenance is done by campus grounds maintenance staff.
