Sheila Magee, gardener with the Scott Aboretum, took aFewSteps summer interns Alex Kirschner and Laura Velarides on a tour of Swarthmore’s green roofs and explained how the vegetative roofs have become an important feature of the college buildings. “I think that it is important for places like Swarthmore College to model creative methods for keeping our planet as cool as it is,” said Magee. “We are well positioned to experiment with technologies and to educate people about what we find.”
The college installed the first green roof in 2002, and has since expanded the project to include five buildings on campus, including the Wister Center, Alice Paul Residence Hall, David Kemp Residence Hall, Papazian Hall, and, the newest, Lang Performing Arts Center.
“I believe that we should be innovating less consumptive practices anywhere and everywhere that we can,” said Magee. “Green roofs are a step in that direction.” These roofs have significant advantages over traditional roofs: they can absorb an inch of water, which helps to control the flow of storm water runoff; they provide buildings with protection from the weather, decreasing the need for air-conditioning and heating; they need very little maintenance; they are natural and beautiful; and they extend the life of the roof itself by 30 years or more.
Click here to watch a video of the green roof installation at David Kemp Hall.
The college installed the first green roof in 2002, and has since expanded the project to include five buildings on campus, including the Wister Center, Alice Paul Residence Hall, David Kemp Residence Hall, Papazian Hall, and, the newest, Lang Performing Arts Center.
“I believe that we should be innovating less consumptive practices anywhere and everywhere that we can,” said Magee. “Green roofs are a step in that direction.” These roofs have significant advantages over traditional roofs: they can absorb an inch of water, which helps to control the flow of storm water runoff; they provide buildings with protection from the weather, decreasing the need for air-conditioning and heating; they need very little maintenance; they are natural and beautiful; and they extend the life of the roof itself by 30 years or more.
Click here to watch a video of the green roof installation at David Kemp Hall.
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