“With the Air Force?s continued emphasis on sustainability, energy conservation and environmental consciousness, green-roof technologies are high on the priority list for new military construction and ongoing roof repair and replacement programs, said Paula Shaw, the Air Force Sustainability Design and Development Program manager at the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment.

The most common technologies used by the Air Force are cool roofs, vegetative roofs and renewable-energy generation. They are designed to create more sustainable infrastructure that reduces energy use, lessens the impacts of storm water runoff and allows for water conservation. Of current Air Force construction projects, almost 200 of them, at more than 100 locations, incorporate these new, efficient technologies.

“?The [Peterson AFB] project was set up to validate the usefulness of green-roof technologies to the Air Force,? said Randy Hawke, facilities excellence architect at Peterson AFB. ?Along with the roof, a one-year study was conducted to evaluate possible benefits to the Air Force,?” (Aragon, 2011).

Funded by the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, the roof was installed by Weston Solutions. “It’s estimated the roof will cut Building 845’s energy costs – especially cooling costs in the summer – by 40 to 50 percent and more than double the life span of the building’s roof,” (Environmental Valuation & Cost-Benefit News, 2007). Eight different species of plants were placed on the roof of building 845 in December 2007, using a GreenGrid modular system of approximately 1,200 trays. This is the first greenroof on an Air Force base in the contiguous United States.

In the photo below, Phil Chase, 21st Civil Engineer Squadron, Asset Management Flight, pollution prevention, solid waste and hazardous materials program manager, monitors Sedum plants on the green rooftop of the 21st Space Wing headquarters building at Peterson Air Force Base. The green roof spans 19,000 square feet, and heat is redirected through the plants instead of the rooftop, cooling the inside of the building. According to officials, the Peterson Air Force Base, 21st Space Wing HQ Building?s roof is about 67 degrees cooler than the nearby 21st Mission Support Group building.