Established in 1903, Rockwell Automation’s mission is to improve standards of living through increased production and sustainability. As a visible part of the company’s commitment to sustainability, Rockwell Automation installed a greenroof on their Milwaukee global headquarters building.

Home of the famous Allen-Bradley clock tower, construction of the living roof lasted from June 2010 to October 2010 and the rooftop has 48,500 square feet of green roof with pavers on a 71,800 square feet space. The Rockwell Automation Building was the largest single-level green roof in the state of Wisconsin as of February, 2012, and features 12 varieties of sedum and native perennials including Spiderwort, Native Onion, Native Chive and Black-Eyed Susans.

The project was funded through an $800,000 grant from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the greenroof was meant to save energy “by adding insulation to reduce heating and cooling costs. It also reduces indirect greenhouse gas emissions, diverts 500,000 gallons of stormwater from going into the sewer system every year and increases the life of the roof by 40 years because it protects the roof from harmful UV rays and temperature fluctuations, (OnMilwaukee.com, see below).

A leak detection system was installed using electro-vector mapping. The Data Monitoring System was designed to measure the following:

Deck temperature;
Green Roof temperature;
Water moisture content;
Rain events and estimated water retention.

According to Steven Strzok, the facilities and engineering services manager for the Rockwell Automation Building, the extensive greenroof is low maintenance. There is restricted access to the roof.