Green Roofs

Solite® provides an excellent environment for healthy root structure and it is specifically well suited for Green Roofs, due to its ability to retain as much as 15% of its weight in absorbed water and water-borne nutrients. Once absorbed in the aggregate, water and nutrients are steadily released as the soil dries. This creates a buffer to help protect plant life from high concentrations of chemicals and persistent drought. These characteristics also help prevent soil cracking and crusting—You get more product per ton.
Benefits of a Green Roof  

Storm Water Retention  

  • Summer:      70 – 90% Stormwater Retention 
  • Winter:         25-40% Stormwater Retention 

Water Filtration & Runoff:  

  • Moderates’ temperature. 
  •  Acts as a natural filter  
  • Reduce the amount of stormwater runoff 
  • Decreases stress on sewer systems at peak flow periods 

Energy Savings  

 Up to 50% Savings on energy heating and cooling costs  

 Sound Reduction  

 A green roof with a 12 cm (4.7 inches) substrate layer can reduce sound by 40 decibels; a 20 cm (7.9 inches) substrate layer can reduce sound by 46-50 decibels.  

Improved Air Quality  

Filtration of Airborne Particulates:  

  • A green roof will absorb heat and filter the air moving across it.  

Carbon Dioxide/Oxygen Exchange:  

  • Through the process of photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight/energy into oxygen and glucose. This cyclical process supplies animals and humans with oxygen and food.  
    • 1.5 m2 (16.15 ft2) of uncut grass produces enough oxygen per year to supply one human with their yearly oxygen intake requirement. 

    Temperature Regulation: Moderation of the Urban Heat Island Effect  

    Swarthmore College
    Swarthmore, PA

    Swathmore College located near Philadelphia, was one of the earliest projects in the U.S. to add a Green Roof on a college dormitory. It enhanced insulation of the roof, mitigated water runoff, and improved visual appearance when viewed from adjacent buildings.

    Image
    St. Elizabeth's Department of Homeland Security Campus
    Washington, DC

    St. Elizabeth’s, located in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., was founded in 1855, as the nation’s first federally operated mental hospital. In 2004, the General Services Administration acquired the site, and designated it as the new home for The Department of Homeland Security. Solite® was used extensively throughout the project for its Green Roofs and several other innovative energy saving concepts, earning this campus a Gold LEED rating.

    National Geographic Headquarters
    Washington, DC

    When Green Roofs were new, the architect for National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., needed an aggregate lighter than ASTM C330 standards for the concrete, Northeast Solite was the only company to supply it. Today our geotechnical lightweight aggregate fill and engineered soils are the standard of green roofs in America.

    Image
    Image
    Doane Stuart School, Rensselaer, NY

    The architects of the Doane Stuart School in Rensselaer,NY used Solite® extensively for it's Green Roof.