Mayor Michael A. Nutter visited Parkway Central on Monday, September 29 to officially unveil the Library’s new green roof demonstration project. Encompassing 5,000 square feet on the south side of Parkway Central, the space holds 100 cubic feet of soil and more than 5,400 plants. The green roof project, which is a part of the Mayor’s initiative to make Philadelphia one of the greenest cities in the country, is the first green roof on a city-owned building.
Green roofs offer environmental and energy-saving benefits—installations improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff to city sewer systems, and keep buildings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Several layers designed specifically for insulation, drainage, and waterproofing were installed below the layer of soil media (see attached illustration). The new demonstration space features a pathway that will allow visitors to experience the green roof up close—featured signage includes information on the variety of plants, as well as details on the layers installed and benefits of green roofs.
Included in the project design team were Moshe Safdie and Associates, the Library’s nationally-renowned architectural firm of the Parkway Central Library’s expansion project. Sustainability and green building practices are being incorporated into the new 180,000 square-foot addition, and the Library is seeking a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation for the new building.
Tue, September 30, 2008
This is something we can all be proud of. Thanks to all who participated and made possible expeditious execution of a forward-looking project. Nancy - Philadelphia
Tue, September 30, 2008
Congratulations, it's good to see more and more people with regard to the environment.
Dwayne - Philadelphia
Thu, October 02, 2008
Its fantastic that soemone has the foresight to think green, by having a green roof, it provides cleaner air for all to enjoy.
graham gallagher - New York
Thu, October 02, 2008
That was astonishing news to me. Thanks for sharing.
Rich - Example: Montreal
Thu, October 02, 2008
This is a great idea. I used to work for a Car company that did this to a few of their buildings and it saved a lot of money in heating and cooling. This is definately a great step for the city becoming greener.
My Dominic - Cincinnati
Fri, October 10, 2008
Hooray for Philadelphia!! Another step toward becoming a "greener" city. It saves energy ,reduces heat load on the building
and the city, decreases impact of UV light on roofing materials and just looks nicer. A WIN WIN choice. Gary - Example: Philadelphia
Fri, October 17, 2008
Libraries are wonderful places to find information on how to do projects and general research. In addition to its already essential services, the library is now an excellent example of good practices. So visiting the library was a great opportunity to utilize reference and observe application.
Hopefully, this will encourage homeowners and other business to do the same!
Thanks Philly, it was a site for sore eyes. Dawn - New York
Sun, November 02, 2008
This is a very good idea. Big step toward becoming a greener city. Good to see that people still pay attention to the environment. Greetings, miranon - Philadelphia
Sun, November 02, 2008
This is a very good idea. Big step toward becoming a greener city. Good to see that people still pay attention to the environment. Greetings, miranon - Example: Philadelphia
Sun, February 08, 2009
I agree, I think its outstanding to make changes like this to help the planet. Mike - Philadelphia
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