Way up on the ninth floor of the new hospital building, the East Tower hospital staff will enjoy fresh air at an outdoor garden. This beautiful area, with plants, trees and benches, will be much more than just a pretty place for respite. It is a green roof, a roof covered with soil and plants that will slow and reduce the release of rainwater into city storm sewers and reduce the accumulation of solar heat on the rooftops. On hot summer days, the surface temperature of a green roof can be cooler than the air temperature. Green roofs also are believed to absorb heat and act as an insulator for buildings, reducing energy needed to provide heating and cooling.
The Green Roof Garden is just one of five green roofs in the Rush Transformation.
Green roof of the Orthopedic Building
Two more are planned for the East Tower and two are already blooming on the roof of the new Orthopedic Building and above the underground loading dock.
The green roof on the Orthopedic Building is extensive, with more than 1,360 trays laid out on the north and east sides.
“Rush worked closely with certified landscaping architects to choose the right combination of plants, all with different bloom cycles to vary the view from season to season,” says Joe DeVoss, assistant vice president, Office of Transformation.
Green roof above loading dock
Looking less like a roof and more like a park, the area above the underground loading dock features a pleasant place for employees, patients,visitors and community members, with park benches, grass and numerous small trees and shrubs.
Check out the video below for more video and photos of the green roofs at Rush.
Kim,
Very informative article.
We are encouraging our readers to learn more about green roofing through our blog and your article located at http://vencon1.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/green-transformation-green-roofing.
I look forward to receiving future news.
Best wishes.
[...] strategies including energy-efficient systems for lighting, heating and cooling. An extensive green roof restores 33 percent of the roof with adaptive vegetation and reduces the rate of storm water [...]
[...] Rush is restoring 50% of new construction areas with adaptive vegetation to reduce the heat island effect and reduce storm water run-off. This includes five green roofs. [...]