Law School Retrofitted with Green Roof
June 29, 2009
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.6190
A new, 7,500 square foot green roof, complete with live plants that produce oxygen and a drainage system that reduces stormwater runoff, will be installed on the University of Baltimore School of Law building at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Oliver Street. The installation, conducted by the Baltimore firm Sustainable Services Corporation in conjunction with Weston Solutions and Energy Systems Group, is part of the University's ongoing efforts to create a more sustainable campus that uses less energy and reduces its impact on the environment.
Green roofs are an increasingly popular way for both public institutions and private companies to maximize the potential sustainability of existing buildings. The School of Law building, constructed in 1982, is the sixth-largest public law school in the country, with an enrollment that has increased 20 percent since the current building opened. In the interim, a host of green technological innovations has come into play, and retrofitting a building with many years left in its lifespan is not unusual. The University plans to repurpose the building for other academic uses when the new School of Law, known as the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, opens adjacent to the intersection of Charles Street and Mt. Royal Avenue in 2012. That new structure also will feature a number of green innovations.
"As we begin to transition to a new home for the School of Law, it makes sense to complete a retrofit that reduces the building's environmental impact as soon as possible," said Steve Cassard, UB's vice president for facilities management and capital planning. "Whatever use we make of this building, it will remain an important part of our campus and we intend to see that it is as efficient as it can be."
The major elements of the green roof installation include a geofabric membrane, which overlays the building's flat roof; plants and soil that provide shade and take up rainwater, and a retention system that sheds excess water that the plants cannot process. The plants, selected for their hardiness and their ability to survive in an urban climate, also process greenhouse gasses and produce oxygen. The insulating effect and shade they create also helps reduce cooling costs for the building. The plants and soil, laid out in modular trays in a grid system across the span, also absorb the sun's ultraviolet rays, protecting the roof and making it last longer.
"A green roof is an ideal solution that has been refined over time," Cassard said. "We're very confident that it will result in lower air-handling costs, it will greatly reduce the amount of radiant heat reflected back into the atmosphere and extend the life of the existing roof. This is the wave of the future for urban buildings of all kinds."
Structures throughout metropolitan Baltimore, including Montgomery Park, Living Classrooms, and at UMB's Biopark and a number of area hospitals and government centers, are realizing energy savings and a reduced environmental impact through green roof technology.
The total cost of the project is $167,000.
The project is expected to be completed by July 1.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.