Eco-Roofs Helps Butler University Students Complete First Campus Green Roof Installation Atop Pharmacy College Building
Biology student initiates green roof installation at University.
Indianapolis, IN, May 07, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Eco-Roofs, producer of environmentally-friendly green roof systems, completed a 1,300-square-foot green roof installation atop the four-story, 67-year-old College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. This is the first green roof undertaking for the University and was installed entirely by an all-volunteer crew of students, faculty, and University staff, led by Eco-Roofs’ Accredited Green Roof Professional and project coordinator Pat Maloney.
The project was initiated by Butler biology student Sarah Strobl while researching green roofs as a topic for her honors thesis. Strobl led the effort to secure funding from the Student Government Association in order to see the project completed before the end of her senior year. After conducting feasibility studies and other background analysis, Strobl and University officials, including campus engineer Rich Michal, consulted with a number of green roof manufacturers in January 2012 and determined that Eco-Roofs was the only system that could meet their all of their needs.
Core to the University’s objectives was that the installation be a learning experience for students and provide ongoing opportunities for scientific study, in addition to being an interactive green space that can be seen and used by University staff and students. One of the key features of the Eco-Roofs system is the ease of installation engineered into the modular system of plant trays. Both newly-trained and experienced installers can achieve optimum results, providing building owners with greater flexibility and potential cost savings. Eco-Roofs provided free training for the volunteers prior to the installation through its new product-specific certification program.
Eco-Roofs offers architects, engineers, specifiers, building owners and managers several systems to choose from, each designed to meet distinct needs and applications: a modular tray system; a built-in-place system; and an advanced green roof system.
Located in Berrien Springs Michigan, Eco-Roofs grows its own plants with the benefit of shared expertise with parent company Twixwood Nursery, a grower of premium perennials for more than 40 years. This enables Eco-Roofs to maintain a stock of 50,000 ready-to-ship, fully-established plant trays 365 days a year. The benefit is that Eco-Roof trays can be installed even during the winter months while the plants are dormant, a distinct advantage over other green roof systems.
Campus engineer Rich Michal, project manager for the green roof installation, pointed out that the Eco-Roofs met all of the University’s objectives for the installation: a lightweight product that would meet the building’s loading limitations; pre-grown modular trays of established plants that didn’t require a growing-in period; the ability to do the installation with minimum disruption to the building’s operations; a company with experience doing successful installations in the Midwest; and working within an installation timeframe when students were on campus, but that didn’t interfere with course finals.
As plans for the installation were finalized the University expanded the project to encompass additional square footage of the roof space to maximize the benefits green roofs provide. “The green roof may double, even triple the life of the roofing membrane,” points out Pat Maloney, Midwest representative for Eco-Roofs, “and also provides insulation to help reduce heating and cooling costs.” Although the project expansion exceeded student government funds, Eco-Roofs donated an additional 300 square feet of plant trays to the project to optimize results.
The installation took place at the end of March and with the assistance of Pat Maloney and a lift-crane, the crew of 15 volunteers was able to install the 650 trays of hardy and colorful sedum groundcovers on the rooftop of the Pharmacy College building in just over 1-1/2 hours.
Eco-Roofs works closely with landscape contractors, roofing contractors and architects to provide fast turn-around for green roof quotes, and to provide clear technical information about its systems to help construction professionals with bid preparation.
“Eco-Roofs was very responsive to the needs and concerns of the University,” adds Michal. “It was an excellent experience. We were pleased with the process and the product, and hope to include green roofs as part of several large building projects at the University over the next 5-10 years.”
About Eco-Roofs
Eco-Roofs, founded in 2007 by Twixwood Nursery, is a grower and supplier of pre-grown green roof modules for distribution across the United States and Canada. Green roof systems produced at the 450+ acre centennial nursery in Southwest Michigan have been installed on numerous commercial, industrial, educational, institutional, government, and residential rooftops throughout Chicagoland, as well as Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and Virginia.
For more information please contact Eco-Roofs: P.O. Box 8, Berrien Springs, MI 49103
Phone: 269.471.7408
Website: www.eco-roofs.com
Email: questions@eco-roofs.com
Editor's Note: Video of the installation available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO2CPL4geNw&list=UUtLyINoE_D12tiilCHR7qbQ&index=2&feature=plcp . [green roof installation segment begins at 11:41]
The project was initiated by Butler biology student Sarah Strobl while researching green roofs as a topic for her honors thesis. Strobl led the effort to secure funding from the Student Government Association in order to see the project completed before the end of her senior year. After conducting feasibility studies and other background analysis, Strobl and University officials, including campus engineer Rich Michal, consulted with a number of green roof manufacturers in January 2012 and determined that Eco-Roofs was the only system that could meet their all of their needs.
Core to the University’s objectives was that the installation be a learning experience for students and provide ongoing opportunities for scientific study, in addition to being an interactive green space that can be seen and used by University staff and students. One of the key features of the Eco-Roofs system is the ease of installation engineered into the modular system of plant trays. Both newly-trained and experienced installers can achieve optimum results, providing building owners with greater flexibility and potential cost savings. Eco-Roofs provided free training for the volunteers prior to the installation through its new product-specific certification program.
Eco-Roofs offers architects, engineers, specifiers, building owners and managers several systems to choose from, each designed to meet distinct needs and applications: a modular tray system; a built-in-place system; and an advanced green roof system.
Located in Berrien Springs Michigan, Eco-Roofs grows its own plants with the benefit of shared expertise with parent company Twixwood Nursery, a grower of premium perennials for more than 40 years. This enables Eco-Roofs to maintain a stock of 50,000 ready-to-ship, fully-established plant trays 365 days a year. The benefit is that Eco-Roof trays can be installed even during the winter months while the plants are dormant, a distinct advantage over other green roof systems.
Campus engineer Rich Michal, project manager for the green roof installation, pointed out that the Eco-Roofs met all of the University’s objectives for the installation: a lightweight product that would meet the building’s loading limitations; pre-grown modular trays of established plants that didn’t require a growing-in period; the ability to do the installation with minimum disruption to the building’s operations; a company with experience doing successful installations in the Midwest; and working within an installation timeframe when students were on campus, but that didn’t interfere with course finals.
As plans for the installation were finalized the University expanded the project to encompass additional square footage of the roof space to maximize the benefits green roofs provide. “The green roof may double, even triple the life of the roofing membrane,” points out Pat Maloney, Midwest representative for Eco-Roofs, “and also provides insulation to help reduce heating and cooling costs.” Although the project expansion exceeded student government funds, Eco-Roofs donated an additional 300 square feet of plant trays to the project to optimize results.
The installation took place at the end of March and with the assistance of Pat Maloney and a lift-crane, the crew of 15 volunteers was able to install the 650 trays of hardy and colorful sedum groundcovers on the rooftop of the Pharmacy College building in just over 1-1/2 hours.
Eco-Roofs works closely with landscape contractors, roofing contractors and architects to provide fast turn-around for green roof quotes, and to provide clear technical information about its systems to help construction professionals with bid preparation.
“Eco-Roofs was very responsive to the needs and concerns of the University,” adds Michal. “It was an excellent experience. We were pleased with the process and the product, and hope to include green roofs as part of several large building projects at the University over the next 5-10 years.”
About Eco-Roofs
Eco-Roofs, founded in 2007 by Twixwood Nursery, is a grower and supplier of pre-grown green roof modules for distribution across the United States and Canada. Green roof systems produced at the 450+ acre centennial nursery in Southwest Michigan have been installed on numerous commercial, industrial, educational, institutional, government, and residential rooftops throughout Chicagoland, as well as Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and Virginia.
For more information please contact Eco-Roofs: P.O. Box 8, Berrien Springs, MI 49103
Phone: 269.471.7408
Website: www.eco-roofs.com
Email: questions@eco-roofs.com
Editor's Note: Video of the installation available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO2CPL4geNw&list=UUtLyINoE_D12tiilCHR7qbQ&index=2&feature=plcp . [green roof installation segment begins at 11:41]
Contact
Eco Roofs
Pat Maloney
269-471-7408
www.eco-roofs.com
cell phone: 312-350-2806
Pat Maloney
269-471-7408
www.eco-roofs.com
cell phone: 312-350-2806
Contact
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