Flowers on the roof. With help from a state Department of Environmental Protection grant, UCF is giving an old idea a new twist. Photo: Jerry Klein.
New Green Roof at Student Union an Early Success
by Chad Binette (cbinette@mail.ucf.edu)
ORLANDO, May 17, 2005 -- Dune sunflowers, coral honeysuckles and blanket flowers are beginning to blossom on the roof of the Student Union expansion at the University of Central Florida.
The plants were installed during the last few weeks on a 1,600-square-foot green roof that is projected to cut the expansion’s energy costs by about 50 percent and extend the life of the roof from 20 to 50 years. The rooftop garden also will reduce storm-water runoff and pollution and make the high-profile building more attractive, project leaders said.
“We’ve used 75 percent Florida native plants that have adapted to extreme dry and wet conditions,” said UCF Arboretum Director Martin Quigley, who is overseeing the initial landscaping of the green roof. “They can survive with little care.”
The state Department of Environmental Protection provided UCF with a grant of about $340,000 to create, maintain and study the effects of the green roof, which occupies half of the roof of the Student Union expansion. The other half is a standard roof that will be used as a comparison for temperatures, water runoff levels and the condition of the green roof.
UCF is the first university in the state to install a green roof. There are only a few green roofs in Florida, but they are common in many other cities. City halls in Toronto, Chicago and Seattle have them, as do many other public and private buildings.
The UCF Student Union is the Department of Environmental Protection’s second green roof research project. The first was installed a year ago at a Bonita Bay golf course.
“Florida is investing in new ‘green’ technologies to reduce storm-water pollution, conserve energy and protect our rivers, lakes and springs,” said Colleen Castille, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. “UCF is leading the way for other universities and businesses to adopt environmentally friendly practices, which not only protect natural resources but also provide economic and social benefits.”
Green roofs cut energy costs by keeping the roof warmer during winter and cooler during summer. They also soak in some water that otherwise would end up as storm-water runoff. Ground-level cisterns will hold excess rainwater from the Student Union roof, and that water will be used to irrigate the roof when conditions are dry.
Once the coral honeysuckles and sky vines grow, they will become more visible from the front of the Student Union as the vines drape over the building’s edge. The roof can be seen from the third-floor student lounge in the Student Union.
UCF is planning to build green roofs on other buildings on campus. They could be installed on new buildings or added to existing buildings. While the Student Union green roof is not a public area, others could be installed with walkways and benches, Quigley said.
In addition to lowering energy costs and reducing storm-water runoff, green roofs will help UCF accomplish its goal of reducing storm-water runoff on campus so it is less than before the land was developed, said Marty Wanielista, director of the UCF Stormwater Management Academy and the leader of the Student Union project.
The architectural firm SchenkelSchultz, which designed the Student Union expansion, helped Wanielista pursue the state grant for the green roof.
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