Saddlebrook Joint Facility Green Roof Information

1. GREEN ROOF BASICS
Green roofs are not a new phenomenon. The first known historical reference to green
roofs is to stone temples planted with vegetation, called ziggurats, built in ancient
Mesopotamia from the fourth millennium until about 600 BC. The Hanging Gardens of
Babylon is the most famous example of these temples.
Green roof technology provides many benefits. Because of this the North American
green roof industry is poised for rapid growth over the next decade.
Green roofs have environmental, social, and financial benefits, including:
Improved aesthetics.
Waste diversion.
Storm water management:
o Quantity.
o Quality.
Reduction of the urban heat island (UHI) effect.
Improved air quality.
Improved ‘livability’.
Local Job Creation.
Most private building owners can benefit from this technology in a
number of ways, including:
Energy efficiency.
Increased roof membrane lifespan.
Fire retardation.
Blockage of electromagnetic radiation.
Noise Reduction.
Marketability.
Generic Green Roof Cross Section Showing Basic Components

2. SADDLEBROOK JOINT USE FACILITY GREEN ROOF
The Saddlebrook green roof was funded by a portion of Douglas County’s Stormwater
Management Plan Program Grant which is provided through the Nebraska Department of
Environmental Quality to assist Nebraska Cities and Counties with stormwater permit
requirements.
Douglas County’s stormwater grant funds paid for the differential costs ($480,000) of the
Saddlebrook green roof. This represented the cost difference between a conventional
roof and this built-in-place green roof.
Why pay more for a green roof?
The green roof will help protect the waterproof roof membrane from solar radiation and
temperature extremes, the two primary factors that cause roofs to fail. It is expected that
the Saddlebrook green roof will last at least twice as long as a conventional roof and
provide many of the benefits noted on the other side of this sheet.
Saddlebrook green roof facts:
• Roof Area: approximately 20,000 square feet
• Plant type: Sedum (5 different varieties)
• Number of sedum plugs planted: approximately 30,000
Planting the Saddlebrook green roof. Photo: K. Holm
A portion of the information for this flier was taken from the Green Roof Design 101
Participant’s Manual, developed by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
For more information on green roofs go to
http://www.greenroofs.org.