Alcoa?s Refinery of Po?os de Caldas is the first Alcoa Unit to have a greenroof. “Inaugurated on July 14, the roof, which covers the Refinery?s Management building, is composed of vegetated modules installed side by side over a root-proof membrane and another membrane for nutrient retention. The natural fabric provides great thermal insulation capability during winter and cooling by plant evapotranspiration during summer, significantly reducing heating and cooling energy costs.

?The idea came up after we saw how easy and beneficial the installation of an ecoroof was in an ad in an architectural magazine,? remarks Luiz Carlos Lenati, manager of the Po?os de Caldas Refinery at the time. ?The installation comprised waterproofing the slab with a rootproof mat first, which took about 20 days, and then applying a drainage mat, followed by the application of the ecoroof, which took about five days,? explains Cl?udia,” (Alcoa website, see below).