Green Roof Boosts Storm Water Management at Loyola

In an effort to promote sustainability by reducing the volume and velocity of storm water runoff, Loyola University Chicago is installing a green roof on a new academic building. The 2,400-sq-ft installation will be Loyola’s seventh green roof.

“A green roof acts like a natural sponge that absorbs storm water and curtails runoff,” said Aaron Durnbaugh, director of sustainability at Loyola University. “With the location of our Chicago campus right on Lake Michigan, reducing runoff is a priority for protecting water quality.”

The LiveRoof Hybrid Green System from LiveRoof LLC was selected for the project. LiveRoof previously was used for the 7,650-sq-ft green roof installed on the Mundelein College building, a historical landmark on the Loyola University Chicago campus, during a 2009 renovation project. LiveRoof was also installed in June 2011 for the 5,400-sq-ft green roof atop the new Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics.

LiveRoof is designed to establish soil-to-soil contact between and above modules so that plant roots are free to grow from one module to the next. The integration across modules maximizes the cohesiveness of the soil and plant roots. Water, nutrients and beneficial organisms are shared between modules. This horticulturally-refined design creates a naturally functioning ecosystem, which optimizes plant health, long-term green roof sustainability and green roof benefits.