Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), along with colleagues, students, and new industry collaborators established the first green roof research site at SIUE as the first in The Green Roof Environmental Evaluation Network (G.R.E.E.N). G.R.E.E.N is “A Collaborative Green Roof Research Project Specific to the Midwest.” The Green Roof experiment is an effort between Green Roof Blocks?, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), The University of Georgia, and The University of Missouri at Columbia. The research project is being directed by Coordinator Dr. William Retzlaff of the SIUE Environmental Sciences Program and collaborated with Kelly Luckett, president of Green Roof Blocks?. G.R.E.E.N. has been awarded an EPA grant to fund additional monitoring equipment.Project Objectives:1) Evaluate the environmental benefits of green roof implementation. 2) Evaluate how green roof installation benefits the building owner. 3) Evaluate the performance of various green roof materials and techniques. 4) Gather input from and disseminate information to interested parties.
The photo above shows 144 Green Roof Blocks at 576 sf and 180 GreenPaksat 810 sf, with a total greenroof area of 1386 sq ft (that?s just on the Engineering Building rooftop; there are 66 modules on tables at grade on the field site for an additional 264 sf.

Plant growth, performance, roof coverage, storm water runoff quality, and thermal characteristics will be evaluated over the next few years. Research outcomes will be shared with those wishing to establish commercial green roof installations.Green Roof Blocks? donated an additional 108 units of its product on September 20, 2005 to the SIUE Engineering Building at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) as Phase II. The university is utilizing the green roof system for research purposes and is part of an eventual 1000 Green Roof Block? system. The installation follows an initial 16 Green Roof Block? installation on the SIUE Engineering Building on July 20, 2005. 16 (64 sf) control models have various media depths and roofing membranes, each without plants.