New York’s Finger Lakes region is located midway between New York City and Niagara Falls in west central New York State. Famed for its beauty, picturesque lakes, lush forests, and respect for nature, it is considered one of the few truly unspoiled vacation areas in the country. When the owners of an unusual house-all the walls and sides of the residence are curved-decided adding a green roof to their home would contribute the to natural beauty of the area and be environmentally responsible as well, they were faced with several challenges because of the home’s design. The biggest problem: fitting a grid system to the curved rooftop.However, DGA Builders, a general contractor based in Rochester, New York, figured that installing a modular green roof system developed by GreenGridR Green Roofs just might meet the challenge.

The modules were filled with plant and growth media off-site and allowed to grow out for three months prior to installation. This provided substantial vegetative coverage as soon as the green roof was installed. To place the modules atop the roof, the contractor used a variable-reach forklift. Despite the challenges they faced, and because the modular system can be installed very quickly, they completed the entire green roof installation safely-and cost effectively-in just four hours in the fall of 2005.