Landscape Management, October 2010
WATER WISE LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET OCTOBER 2010 20 Top Students gather on the shaded middle school roof garden plaza to study or socialize Center This above ground cistern collects air conditioning condensate and rainwater from the green roof and stores it until its needed to irrigate the roof garden Bottom This naturalized creek captures runoff and empties it into a 033 acre pond PHOTOS COURTESY IRRIGATION CONSULTANT SERVICES INC continued on page 22 roof surface provides much of the irrigation water required by the garden Precipitation falling onto the roof is collected along with the buildings air conditioning condensate and directed into a 10000 gal aluminum tank at the base of the building explains Scott During periods of dry weather that water is pumped back onto the roof and used in the green roofs low volume system Or it can be used to irrigate plants surrounding the school The installation of the green roof was handled by national landscaping company ValleyCrest Landscape Cos which was involved with many other landscape construction projects at the site during the decade long process of upgrading Lovett Schools campus From our point of view the logistics of how to access a roof is always a challenge including how to get the material to the roof in a safe manner says Brian Prantil branch manager of the Southeast Region for ValleyCrest There were many other considerations for this project as well such as installing the correct lightweight soil and installing the irrigation in terms of the long term maintenance of the green roof and taking into account the water needs of the plants which are different from other landscape areas at the school There are increasing concerns about how to irrigate plant material without wasting water he adds noting that solutions include the use of elements such as cisterns using plant material that doesnt require extensive maintenance including native or adaptive plants and making sure plants are located in the proper locations and in the correct soils The green roof and other energy and water conserving design elements contributed to the middle school earning a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED Gold Certifi cation by the U S Green Building Council The school learned of the designation in August In the last 10 years we have replaced our major educational spaces with up to date and more energy effi cient facilities says Jeff Rountree director of plant operations When we replaced our high school and our elementary schools we were interested in building to LEED standards Those two buildings just missed it by a couple of points each so we dug our heels in a little bit deeper and
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