• First GreenGrid® installation in Atlanta area by WESTON
ATLANTA, GA, April 17, 2008 -- On April 10, 2008, Weston Solutions Inc. (WESTON®) successfully completed the installation of a GreenGrid® Green Roof System atop the Bunzl Administration Center of the High Museum of Art at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown Atlanta. While not the first green roof in the Atlanta metropolitan area, it is the largest modular system installed to date.
The 6,680-square-foot green roof sets an example of how vegetated green roofs would benefit the City of Atlanta by cleaning and reducing stormwater runoff, reducing the urban heat island effect, reducing energy consumption, extending roof life and improving air quality. This green roof has the ability to retain about 62,000 gallons of stormwater per year or approximately 70% of the total rainfall.
Patrick G. McCann, WESTON President and CEO stated, "We look forward to working with the community to make a difference in Atlanta one green step at a time and extend the benefits of GreenGrid® to our many sustainability partners in the southeast. In late 2007 WESTON reached the 1 million square-foot mark of GreenGrid® installations nationwide, including a 2.3-acre installation at a shopping center in Pennsylvania. We are working with clients across the country to develop sustainability goals that many times include green roof technology. Not only does the system reduce energy consumption, but it positively impacts the environment, adds value to the property and is a key component in green building design."
Why Modular?
With a modular system, vegetation and engineered growth media are pre-planted in lightweight modules made of 100 percent post-industrial recycled plastic. The green roof installed has low-growing vegetation such as sedum, grasses, and other hearty, drought-resistant plants installed in four inches of growth media (soil). The modules, which come in varying sizes, are then placed on the existing roof, one after another.
"The GreenGrid modular system is cost effective," said Greg Harper, WESTON Project Manager. "Also, the modules can be picked up if the roof or other mechanicals need servicing and then replaced when repairs are completed. You can't do that with a built-in-place system."
The project at the High Museum of Art/Woodruff Arts Center was conceived by Woodruff Board of Trustees member David Harris. It was financed in part through a Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources awarded to the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management. Matching funding came from the Kendeda Foundation. Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Implementation Grants are awarded to projects that prevent, control and/or abate non-point source pollution.
WESTON partnered with local firms ItSaul Natural and Saul Nurseries, respectively, for the growth media and plants for the project. The Savannah College of Art and Design contributed to plant selection for seasonal design elements, and filmed a documentary of the module installation.
GreenGrid® Green Roof System is a proprietary technology of ABC Supply Co. Inc. licensed exclusively to Weston Solutions Inc.
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