Green grows the new roof in a city first
Sedum spruces up redeveloped mule barn.
By KAT HUGHES of the Tribune’s staff
Published Thursday, November 1, 2007
Parker Eshelman photo
Below, Eric Wesbury, left, and other workers install a LiveRoof system on top of the former Wright Brothers’ Mule Barn, which Columbia architect Brian Pape is redeveloping as the Warehouse Studios and Fay Street Lofts. The workers mount containers of sedum plants, above, on a reinforced roof that are intended to help cool the building and reduce runoff.
Four-hundred-fifty boxes filled with sprigs of red, yellow and green plants made history yesterday when a crane lifted them on top of the former Wright Brothers’ Mule Barn, making it Columbia’s first commercial building to boast a living green roof.
The green roof installation was architect Brian Pape’s latest effort to redevelop the historic building with environmentally friendly features. The building at the corner of Hinkson Avenue and Fay Street, which Pape bought last year, will achieve another first.
When completed at the end of the year, it will become the first commercial structure in Columbia to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
The remodeled structure will house eight loft apartments and commercial space known as the Warehouse Studios and Fay Street Lofts
Pape said he placed the green roof where future tenants could enjoy it from an adjacent outdoor terrace.
Using a system patented by a company called LiveRoof, the plants were grown in 1-foot-by-2-foot boxes made of recycled plastic.
The boxes were shipped to Columbia from Davenport, Iowa. A crew installed the boxes on a portion of the roof that has been specially reinforced with steel to hold their weight.
Once the plants are mature, the boxes will weigh between 26 and 29 pounds per square foot.
"There are a whole variety of green roof systems on the marketplace, and you need to do your research or you won’t know what you’re getting into," Pape said.
He said he chose the LiveRoof system because its plants live and grow in the same boxes used to install them and they become self-maintaining. Pape said this eliminates a lot of hassle with roof repairs or plant maintenance.
Roxanne Nagel, general manager of Iowa-based Rooftop Sedums, said the plants are a variety of sedum, a perennial succulent that resists drought.
The plants grow in a special soil engineered by LiveRoof. The mix is 93 percent inorganic and buffers runoff and filters acid rain. The plants will grow on average to a 6-inch height and will not need to be cut or watered unless drought is severe.
"In general, sedums are meant for drought resistance and for extreme conditions, which is what you’ll find on a roof," Nagel said.
Pape said the roof cost about $15 per square foot, or about three times the cost of a normal roof.
"It costs more, but it also adds value, extends the life of the roof, cools the building and reduces runoff," Pape said. He said the green roof should last 30 years, compared to 15 years for a normal roof.
The day before the green roof installation, Pape added another green feature by constructing a porous parking lot. It also is the first of its kind for a commercial building in Columbia, and it qualifies for LEED points by reducing and filtering storm-water runoff.
"There’s a lot coming out now in the media about sustainability and how we’re using our resources," Pape said. "It’s a consciousness that needs to be raised, and we all need to do our part. We’re showing by example."