Renovations to the Claire M. Fagin Hall at University of Pennsylvania aimed to improve the workplace environment while doing something healthy for the environment, incorporating strategies such as the re-use of existing building material and the reduction of demolition waste. The green roof, or Atrium Garden, is located on the 4th floor and perfectly illustrates efforts for functionality and sustainability.

The Claire M. Fagin Hall green roof at the University of Pennsylvania is surrounded by windows on four sides, and it is visible from the office spaces on the courtyard. More than a visual amenity, the green roof has symbolic value for the school and is dedicated to the graduates of the Nursing program. The installation includes a sculpture, the Legacy Fountain, installed in honor of alumnae of the school for the contributions that they have made to the health care field. Each of the stones included in the garden is meant to represent and honor all of the program’s graduates.

The garden replaced a concrete atrium on the fourth floor of the five story building, and was part of the larger renovation plan for Fagin Hall. The roof includes a variety of perennials that are supported by a dual media profile. The plants are efficiently irrigated from the base of the assembly using the capillary irrigation approach.

The university is including green roofs on many of its buildings in an effort to help slow the rate of stormwater entering the West Philadelphia sewer system.