By Michael Gowan
Duke Medicine's commitment to sustainability has reached
new heights with Duke University Hospital's recently completed
green roof project.
A green roof features vegetation planted over a
waterproofing membrane. Besides being nice to look at, green
roof vegetation can enhance the energy performance of a
building by mitigating heat.
Click through the photos to take a tour of Duke University
Hospital's green roof and learn more about the
project.
Green roofing is being promoted, particularly in large urban centers, as a means to reduce storm water run-off and also to improve downstream water quality.
This look at the lobby-level green roof shows the new courtyard at Duke University Hospital. Included in the courtyard's landscape are several test plots/sites for green roof plants and mosses. The courtyard also includes green features, such as "adaptive design" and storm water harvesting.
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Sedums -- such as Sedum ellacombianum, shown here -- are generally favored for green roofing because they are low-growing, drought tolerant, and produce minimal "bio-mass" during their growing cycle.
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Sedum floriferum (also known as Weihenstephaner Gold) is another plant found on Duke's green roof.
The sedum vegetation on the hospital roof was pre-cultivated on a
carrier mat at a production farm in upstate New York. Eight or nine
different sedum species are visible on the hospital roof.
The plant diversity not only offers visual appeal but it also ensures that more successful species will fill in if others fail to thrive.
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The green roof project has demonstrated another significant benefit of green roofing: Patients and hospital staff have responded positively to the "green" transformation of the hospital entry roof.
Views of nature and enhanced building aesthetics have been shown in research studies to be beneficial in a health care environment.
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Last year, Duke Medicine helped sponsor the creation of a local sedum farm in Orange County, North Carolina. The farm is growing the pre-cultivated mats with sedum species more indigenous to our climate.
This flowering plant is Sedum pulchellum.
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In this photo, you can see the engineered soil -- mostly expanded slate and sand with about 10 percent organic material -- under the vegetation. Engineered soil helps "filter" storm water.
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Vegetated green roofing is being explored for future developments at Duke Medicine, including the planned Major Hospital Addition and Cancer Center.
The existing green roof on Duke University Hospital was planned as a test site to inform the planning and specification of future green roofs on campus.
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Fall colors at their peak on Duke University Hospital's green roof.
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