One of the green roofs will be what lead researcher Rob Berghage calls ?EUR??,,????'??a showcase,?EUR??,,????'?? on top of the University?EUR??,,????'???s recently opened $30.5 million Forest Resources Building. The green roof was a major factor in the structure recently receiving a LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The University?EUR??,,????'???s College of Agricultural Sciences are determined to develop sustainable buildings that are more energy efficient, water conscious and ecologically sound, which is evident by the designation.

The new green roof will also feature a large viewing deck built with composite wood-plastic material developed by a researcher in the school.

The green roof is made ?EUR??,,????'??green?EUR??,,????'?? by a dense covering of plants and groundcover-like vegetation placed on top of the building, explains Berghage, associate professor of horticulture. ?EUR??,,????'??To have a green roof, a building must be designed to support the extra weight of the vegetation, 4 to 12 inches of planting medium, a roof membrane and a drainage layer.?EUR??,,????'??

The large, shallow-media ?EUR??,,????'??extensive?EUR??,,????'?? zones of the roofs will be planted with a variety of sedum species and other drought-tolerant plants such as allium and talinum, while the deeper ?EUR??,,????'??intensive?EUR??,,????'?? parts of the roof will have larger showy herbaceous perennials such as salvia and lavender.

Some of the benefits of green roofs include absorption of excess water and insulation that can reduce the need to cool or heat a building by up to 10 percent or more.