The Gratz Industries Building greenroof is located at 13-06 Queens Plaza South, within view of the Queensborough Bridge. Originally planted in August, 2006, Queens Ledger of September, 2007 (see below) says, “In spring of 2007, Greener by Design workers replanted the industrial green roof with hardy green and red sedum plants for an environmental impact experiment. One important measure – the shrubbery’s capacity to reduce drainage from rooftops – is being closely watched by Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) specialists who operate the city sewer system.”The Gratz Industries Green Roof is funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and property owner and urbanist Roberta Brandes Gratz.

Divided into quadrants, vegetation covers three-quarters of the roof, with one quarter acting as the control. Earth Pledge maintains a rooftop weather research station will monitor data pertaining to stormwater quality and temperature fluctuations.The Pratt Center for Community Development website (see below) states, “Researchers from Earth Pledge are monitoring the plantings’ oxygen emissions, and thus the roof’s capacity for countering global warming. The monitoring will also track the plants’ capacity to absorb rainwater, which would otherwise deluge the city’s strained sewage facilities. Increasingly, architectural guidelines under city government-sponsored programs are requiring builders to take measures to slow and reduce drainage from rooftops, and the city Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the sewer system, has expressed interest in the project’s findings.”