Penn State Green Roof

Penn state is committed to developing and sustaining a green campus.

Penn state green roof.

Retention occurs primarily in the summer months from may through september when as much as 100 of the rain can be retained. Green roofs on campus. Forest resources building student health center dickinson law school and the root cellar behind tyson building. Root cellar has 4 5000 f t student heath center 12 500 ft and dickinson school of law 22 000 ft.

The office of the physical plant has been proactive in applying our research and promoting green roof technologies as one solution to storm water management issues on our campus. Back at penn state beattie an associate professor of ornamental horticulture began to look into the idea. Says beattie in scandinavia and the british isles it s rooted in history. Lengthening roof membrane life.

Green roof media testing penn state college of agricultural sciences. And providing an aesthetically pleasing roof. In such all new buildings will utilize green technologies and many will have green roofs. Speaking of green roofs on campus are four large scale green roofs in penn state.

In the cool season months less water is retained 20 30 on average figure 1. Green roofs are unique in that they have the ability to capture and retain a volume depth of rain from each rainstorm. The hub s green roof a gift from the class of 2014 and constructed as part of the hub robeson center addition and renovation project the hub green roof opened in summer 2016 as a space for penn staters to relax and enjoy nature from the center of campus. The penn state center for green roof research in no way warrants expressed or implied the products tested only that the test was conducted as reported and the results of the test were as stated in the final report.

Horticulture hort 497b was the first green roof technologies class in the nation created at penn state in 2005 and is taught every spring semester with students from many disciplines participating. Green roofs are increasing in popularity in the us because of the benefits they provide over traditional roofs such as reducing stormwater runoff and improving runoff quality. On an annual basis a 3 5 4 deep sedum green roof in central pennsylvania can retain approximately 50 60 of the annual rainfall. Research at penn state has shown that green roofs provide considerable reduction in the volume of stormwater leaving a developed site and they reduce the peak rates of runoff.

Reducing air conditioning costs. Forest resources building has 4 700 ft of green roof.