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For more info, please visit: http://blog.uta.edu/sustainability/2008/04/12/experimental-green-roof-is-installed/; https://mavspace.uta.edu/xythoswfs/webui/howardj/Green%20Roof%20Project; UT Arlington Press Release of 4/4/08; Star-Telegram editorial of 4/10/08; Star-Telegram article of 4/12/08 (see also video content, ?The greening of UTA?). Learn more about GreenGrid in The Greenroof Directory here, and about American Hydrotech here.

The University of Texas at Arlington?s first green roof ? a 1,000-square-foot experimental project ? was installed on April 11, 2008. Two test beds were constructed beside the Biology Department greenhouse on the 6th-floor roof of the Life Sciences Building. Under the supervision of Landscape Architecture Assistant Professor David Hopman, the green roof will be used to test plants (29 varieties of grasses and forbs), soils, planting systems, and irrigation systems to determine which combinations perform well in the extreme conditions of a rooftop in North Texas. The results of the investigation will aid in the design of an extensive green roof on the Engineering Research Building, which will be the campus? first green building when it is constructed around 2010 on the north side of campus. The green roof project is believed to be one of the first in North Texas and one of only a few in the state. The President?s Sustainability Committee extends thanks to:? David Hopman, who designed the installation and has overseen the technical planning and materials donations; ? City and Regional Planning graduate student Amanda Popken, who has led and motivated the project team since 2007; ? volunteer faculty members, students, staff members, and alumni who turned out April 11 for hard work beneath a warm spring sun; ? Hydrotech USA, which donated thousands of dollars of materials for 50 percent of the roof, and Hydrotech?s local representative Robert Nickel, of Architectural Systems Inc., who offered technical assistance; ? Weston Solutions, which donated the other 50 percent of the soil and modular roofing system, and its representative Roger Smith; ? Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center and Dr. Milt Engelke for donating two drought-tolerant varieties of turf for rooftop trials; ? Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for help in researching the details of the installation; ? Sue Stevens and the Office of Public Affairs for making sure the event was well publicized; ? Facilities Management staff members who transported materials to the Life Sciences Building loading dock, helped install the irrigation, and shepherded the project through approvals by the Fire Marshall and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety; and ? the Student Planning Association, led by Urban Planning and Public Policy doctoral student Kent Hurst, which initiated the project in 2007.

This 1,000 sf. extensive green test roof is constructed in two 500 sf. sections. Both sections use 4? of soil and have two iterations of the same plant materials. One section was provided by Weston Solutions and uses their Green Grid modular tray system and proprietary soil mix. The other section was provided by American Hydrotech and uses their garden roof assembly and their proprietary soil mix. The Weston side is irrigated by a dramm system designed for green roofs and the Hydrotech side is irrigated by Netafim Drip. Both sides of the six story roof will be monitored for light, moisture, and temperature by a team from the UT Arlington computer science engineering department led by Doctor Yonghe Liu. The wireless sensor system is being developed by the UTA team. The plant materials for the initial trials are heavily biased towards Texas natives and include: By Latin Name, Common NameGrasses Bouteloua gracilis, Blue GramaBouteloua curtipendula, Sideoats GramaBuchloe dactyloides, Buffalo GrassHilaria belangeri, Curly MesquiteOryzopsis hymenoides, Indian RicegrassForbs Salvia greggii, Autumn SageCalylophus hartwegii, Box Bud PrimroseLiatris spicata kobold, Blazing StarBerlandiera lyrata, Chocolate DaisyManfreda maculosa, Deciduous AgaveDasylirion Wheeleri, Desert SpoonTetraneuris scaposa, Four-nerve DaisyPhyla nodiflora, FrogfruitDalea greggii, Gregg DaleaArtemesia ludoviciana, Louisiana ArtemisiaSalvia farinacea, Mealy Blue SageOrbexilum pendunculatum, Mountain Pea (Sampson’s Snakeroot)Echinacea purpurea, Purple ConeflowerScutellaria suffrutescens, Pink ScullcapRudbeckia fulgida ‘goldstrum’, Black-eyed SusanPerovskia atripliplicifolia, Russian SageHesperaloe parviflora, Red YuccaSantolina chamaecyparissus, Grey SantolinaPenstemon triflorus, Scarlet PenstemonSantolina virens, Green Santonlina,Stemodia lanata Woolly Stemodia,Wedelia hispida, Zexmenia

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