Vegetated Roofs for Green Building
Vegetated roofs enhance structures by taking advantage of a space that is typically unused, and making it pretty and functional. Vegetated roofs help with stormwater management, energy efficiency (by acting as an insulator), and maintaining a healthy ecosystem and watershed, water and air filtration, and even in extending the lifetime of the roof. They are an integral part of the rapidly-growing field of green building and green design.
Lafayette students designed a green roof system for the engineering building, which was installed in the summer of 2009. We will be researching the effects of the new roof on energy and water conservation, and also looking for new places on campus for rooftop gardens.
Model green roof used for research.
Green Roof on Acopian Engineering Center
Contact: Rob Elliot, elliotrm@lafayette.edu