Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 1/05/15

University of Iowa – Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building
Iowa City, IA, USA
6,440 sf. Greenroof

Project Description & Details

The University of Iowa is in the midst of a $1.2 billion historic transformation with a number of major building projects underway, including its first-ever green roof atop the $126 million Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building (PBDB). The latest in a trio of biomedical research facilities on the Health Science Campus, the building is dedicated to enabling cutting edge interdisciplinary biomedical research. Green roofs support the University of Iowa 2020 Vision Sustainability Targets as well as the goal to attain LEED Gold certification for the hub of the Institute, the PBDB.

Stormwater benefits of the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building’s green roof includes absorbing and storing rain water, as well as reducing toxic pollutants. Hot rooftop surfaces also transfer their excess heat to storm water and this green roof will reduce runoff from the building, which is just one block from the nearest waterway, the Iowa River. The LiveRoof® Deep Hybrid Green Roof System was used on this project, and was custom grown by Roof Top Sedums using five unique sedum mixtures in 6″ of growing media. Each plant mix also features hardy perennials such as Allium spp., Liatris spp., Rudbeckia spp., and Hosta spp. The pre-vegetated and fully-mature modules were installed in the organic shaped design in a unique pattern to create sweeps of yellows, reds, and greens. The green roof is the very first on the campus of the University of Iowa and created an instant green roof with overwhelming owner satisfaction.

Find more photos and additional information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.

Year: 2014
Owner: University of Iowa
Location: Iowa City, IA, USA
Building Type: Educational
Type: Semi-Extensive
System: Custom
Size: 6,440 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public

Designers/Manufacturers of Record:

Modular Greenroof System: LiveRoof Global LLC
Grower: Roof Top Sedums LLC
Architect of Record: Rohrbach Associates, PC
Landscape Architect: Confluence
LiveRoof Certified Installer: Vis, LTD.
General Contractor: Walsh Construction
Design Architect: Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects, LLC

Project of the Week Video Feature

Watch the University of Iowa – Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building – Project of the Week Video below or see it on our greenroofs.TV on YouTube:

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Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.