The roof at the McMillan Federal Courthouse and Post Office will join the rankings of one of the largest green roofs in the Southeast U.S. to date, and may be the largest in South Carolina. This project was part of the Federal Recovery Act “Roof Replacement with Improvements for Energy and Environmental Conservation”.

An extensive green roof system was selected due to the load constraints of the existing structure. It is a traditional built-up system planted with a diverse list of plant material inclusing species of Sedums, Delosperma, Talinum, and Allium. Roughly 51,000 plugs were planted in 329 tons of lightweight growing medium. Growing medium depth is 4 inches. A perimeter irrigation system was installed to help the plants during the establishment period. Florence, SC is a challenging environment with summer temperatures averaging in the mid-90’s (Fahrenheit), and sometimes having long periods with no rain.