This document summarizes a green roof project at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The project included installing extensive green roofs covering over 33,000 square feet on several new buildings, including a 17,800 square foot green roof on Building 607. The roofs feature drought-tolerant sedum and were part of O'Hare Airport's sustainable design and construction practices for its ongoing modernization and expansion program.

1. Greenroofs.com Projects - O'Hare International Airport Building 607 New South Vault an... Page 1 of 2
O'Hare International Airport Building 607 New
South Vault and New Duct Bank Buildings
Project Name: O'Hare International Airport Building
607 New South Vault and New Duct Bank Buildings
Year: 2008
Owner: City of Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Building Type: Aviation
Greenroof Type: Extensive
Greenroof System: Single Source Provider
Roof Size: 17800 sq.ft.
Roof Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Private
Submitted by: The Barrett Company
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Waterproofing & Greenroof-Roofscapes® System
Supplier & Technical Consultant: The Barrett
Company
Engineers/Architects: McDonough Associates, Inc.
Waterproofing Installation & Project Management:
Pine Waterproofing, Inc.
Landscape Architect: Terry Guen Design Associates
Edge Restraint Supplier: Green Roof Solutions
The Chicago Daily Herald of October 22, 2008 states, "This November marks the opening of the first new runway at O'Hare since 1971,
located at the facility's north end. Along with the runway comes a new air traffic control tower that has a garden atop the first floor of its base
building. The rooftop has been planted with sedum, a low-maintenance ground cover.
"O'Hare is in the midst of a major rebuilding program, aimed at creating six parallel runways running east-west. As part of the new
construction, workers have created 33,000 square feet of rooftop gardens. These include plantings atop a guard post, the air traffic control
base building, a transformer building and a facility holding lighting control systems," (Pyke, 2008).
http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=913 11/24/2009

2. Greenroofs.com Projects - O'Hare International Airport Building 607 New South Vault an... Page 2 of 2
Well into phase one of the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP), executive director Rosemarie Andolino’s “megaproject of national
significance” has taken the environment into account on every aspect of the project’s design and construction. From the conception of
O’Hare’s Sustainable Design Manual to efficient construction practices and vegetated roofs, the O’Hare strategy is that any area of
construction where sustainability is not considered is an opportunity lost. The OMP can easily be described as one of the largest construction
projects in the country occurring at one of the world’s busiest airports. Charged with reconfiguring the airport’s outdated intersecting runway
system, the estimated $8 billion OMP broke ground in September of 2005, and has made considerable progress since.
Sustainable construction practices are tracked to ensure compliance with the SDM, contracts, and specifications in the areas of Diesel
Vehicle Emissions Control, Construction Waste Management, Regional Materials, and Recycled Materials. The OMP Sustainable Design
Manual was based on the Chicago Standard and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) green building rating system. As of June, 2009, O’Hare International Airport (ORD) now has over 33,000 square feet of green roof
space, including the Mount Prospect Road guard post (6,000 sf), Building 607 New South Vault and New Duct Bank Buildings (total 17,800 sf
set within 6" of growing medium), and the new North Control Tower (10,000 sf). The protected membrane roof/inverted roof membrane
waterproofing assembly, supplied by Barrett Company, consists of 215 mils thick Barrett “Ram Tough 250” rubberized asphalt membrane,
polyester reinforcement and SBS protection course, drainage/retention mat, RB20 root barrier and extruded insulation.
Additional thumbnail photos:
Read the Chicago Daily Herald's "O'Hare aims at environmentally friendly skies" by Marni Pyke of October 22, 2008 here. Learn all about The
Barrett Company, Waterproofing Consultants and Material Suppliers, in The Greenroof Directory here.
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http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=913 11/24/2009