10A - Monday, October 23, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com A By Angela Cesere I Daily Staff Photographer Green roofs are living roofs. The "green" is alayer of vegetation plant- ed on top of a building, incorporated into the roof structure. The resulting roof-plant con- coction has been hailed as a significant step toward an environmentally friendly and economically sound approach to building. European countries, especially Germany, have been taking advantage of this tech- nology for more than a century, and more recently, American cities like Chicago and Boston are catching on. In Michigan, the Ford Rouge auto manu- facturing plant is home to the largest green roof in the world. Built in 2003 over what used to be a 100-mile-long railroad system, 10.4 acres of green lie atop the manufactur- ing facility. The plant, called sedum, is select- i ed because it can 4 withstand harsh environments and . needs little mainte-t nance. Blanketing £ the factory, it does wonders for power conservation at the} plant. "What we have with the sedum grass roof is both heating and cool- ing, an insulating factor which is a huge reduction in energy costs," said Christian Over- land, vice president Green roofs increase the a of venue operations animals, especially birds. Th at the Henry Ford Canadian goose, is not the fi Museum. "So it's on top of the Ford Rouge pla not just the idea of a grass roof, you're reducing your power needs." Not only does the roof reduce energy costs, it also plays a large role in maintain- ing the natural environment around the plant. Before the Rouge plant was built, the Ford company drained seven million gal- lons of water a day from the Rouge River for manufacturing needs - more water than is consumed in a day in Cincinnati, Detroit and Washington, D.C. combined. With the green roof, graywater - rainwa- ter that has been filtered through the green roof system (see lower-left corner photos) - is used directly in the manufacturing pro- cess, lessening the impact on the river and the local environment. Aside from reducing damage to the Rouge River, the green roof also replaces green space that was destroyed with the construc- tion of the building. Over the years, a variety of wildlife has made a home of the Rouge plant's rooftop. Last spring, a Canadian goose built a nest among the 12 different types of sedum and moss on the green roof. Joel Perkovich and Brian Chilcott, both graduate students studying landscape architecture at the University, are conduct- ing research on 20 varieties of native Michi- gan plants to see if they can be used on green roofs in the area. Their goal is to diversify plants on green roofs, Perkovich said. "If you're able to use a lot of native plants, you're increasing the biodiversity of plants that are growing on green roofs," he said. "There's more value to local wildlife." Simulated green roof boxes were built in the spring and testing began in June. At the end of three growing seasons, the plants that have survived in the boxes are guaranteed to sur- vive on top of an average business or residence. Ann Arbor local Bob Grese an associate professor of natural resourc- es at the Univer- sity, is practicing what he teaches ount of natural habitats for on the roof of his s nest, built last spring by a own garage. Grese rst nest to be constructed made the garage nt. roof green two years ago when he and his wife decided to rebuild the entire structure. The couple's bedroom window now overlooks wildflowers and strawberries rather than the dull rooftop of before. Aside from the roof's new aesthetics, the filtered water run- off from the roof system irrigates some of the surrounding plants in his prairie front lawn. Both lawn and roof are living proof of Grese's commitment to increasing green spaces and improving local ecology. As green roof technology is refined and its benefits advertised, it's picking up steam in homes and businesses. In Vancouver, the Fairmount Waterfront Hotel is already saving an estimated $30,000 a year just by growing herbs, vegetables and flowers on the roof. Saving green never sounded so good. 4 M( his fir d The Fairmount Waterfront Hotel in Vancou- ver already saves an estimated $30,000 a year by growing flowers and herbs on its roof. "(I)t's not just the idea of a (green) roof, you're reducing your power needs." -Christian Overland, vice president of venue operations at the Henry Ford Museum (ABOVE) Christian Overland, vice president of venue operations at the Henry Ford Museum, stands in the observation deck overlooking the Ford Rouge plant in Dear- born. The deck was built to provide the public with a view of the plant's dynamic green roof. (RIGHT) The green roof of the Ford Rouge serves as a stark contrast to the industry surrounding the plant. .1 I Green roof plants are rooted in a layer of substrate, an engineered lightweight soil such as expanded clay or shale. These materials have high water retentio and help decrease the amount of water runoff. Beneath the substrate is a drainage layer and a waterproof membrane. A roof barrier lies between the mem- brane and the drainage layer to ensure that roots will not damage the membrane. The cupped layer (above right) serves as an additional water reservoir for plants. sedum and strawberry plants. The Greses' bedroom window overlooks this garage, a much more pleasant sight than a traditional shingled rooftop.