Environmental Leader

A vegetative roof atop the headquarters of American Life and Accident Insurance Co. of Kentucky will reduce heating and cooling needs by 20-30 percent.

The green roof, which also will help reduce storm water runoff, came as part of a building overhaul that also saw the installation of energy efficient HVAC equipment, as well as improved lighting and energy management systems, according to a press release.

The rooftop garden, which is 17,000 square feet, cost 30 percent more than retrofitting the roof to a typical tar and gravel roof, reports the Courier-Journal. However, the living roof will cut air conditioning costs 75 percent and cut storm water runoff by half, the Courier-Journal reports.

However, Vivienne Bross, Marketing Manager at Turner Construction Co., which handled the project, said the figure is actually closer to 20-30 percent, although additional savings are being achieved by interior fit-outs and renovations, along with other improvements.

The green roof will incorporate native sedum mats, as well as three test beds that will help determine which plants perform best for green roofs in the Midwest.

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is handling the test plots.

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