Chris Zang of University of Maryland Baltimore writes:

Sometimes bigger is better. Take the case of Health Sciences Research Facility (HSRF) III, which was dedicated in October. Not only is it the biggest building in the University System of Maryland, but its workmanship and high sustainability standards recently earned a coveted Gold LEED Award from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building also offers 23,621 square feet of vegetated open space, and the planting of native and adaptive plants that can grow without additional irrigation allows for 100 percent reduction in water use.

The university says the 439,000-square-foot facility, dubbed HSRF III, is the largest building in the University System of Maryland. It has sustainable features such as a green roof, a cistern water collection system, recycled content, indoor environmental quality, and energy recovery systems.

The green roof utilizes a combination of reflective materials and vegetated surfaces to ensure the building does not contribute to the heat island effect found in large areas of dark-colored hardscape and rooftops in many urban areas. The vegetated roof areas also absorb stormwater and control runoff.

During my online research, I found that several companies were involved in the design & installation of this green roof:

• Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal green roof system was utilized.
• Elevation Greenroofs did the installation.
• Furbish provided the material and they currently perform the maintenance for this roof.
• Barrett Systems Application with a Barrett Systems Warranty.

Note: If anyone knows of any additional information, please contact me at aramis@greenroofs.com

Here is a video from the University of Maryland School of Medicine YouTube channel:

Read more: HSRF III Achieves Gold LEED Recognition