Green Roof Installed on City Storage Facility

CHARLESTON, SC – August 12, 2011 – A small City storage building being built in Marion Square had a green roof installed on Tuesday, August 9, 2011.  This installation makes Charleston the first city in South Carolina to install a green roof on a municipal building.

A green roof is a configuration of plants, soil, and drainage layers that are placed on the roof surface of a building. The architect was Benjamin S. Whitener of Cummings & McCrady, Inc. Architects. Michael Whitfield and Mike McKenna of Green Roof Outfitters supplied the green roof modules. Benjamin Whitener, Michael Whitfield, and Mike McKenna volunteered their time to help City staff install the green roof. Students from the American College of the Building Arts constructed the block and brick walls of the building as well as the large sliding door made of cypress.

The building is designed to fit within the historic context of Marion Square and not draw attention to itself. It utilizes a minimally sloped shed roof, in lieu of a traditional gable or hip roof, which allows the height of the building to be constrained.

Engineered to support the weight of the 2’ x 2’ Green Roof Modules, the tubular steel roof structure is wrapped with perforated zinc allowing the building to vent and provide the interior space with natural day light. The plants on the roof, a mixture of drought tolerant sedums, will absorb storm water, decrease storm water runoff and serve to reduce pollution and increase oxygen in the air. In addition to its environmental benefits, aesthetically, the green roof will blend with the park when viewed from above.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. said, “The innovative roof on this functional facility furthers our goal of increased sustainability in the City of Charleston. It will reduce costs related to roof replacement, repair, maintenance, and resurfacing. The roof will also mitigate the ‘heat island effect’ as the plants absorb heat that would normally reflect back into the atmosphere.  Each change we make will allow us to lessen the burden on our environment. ”