The Curious Kids? Discovery Zone is an interactive children?s museum, located in a prominent, high-traffic area near Silver Beach in St. Joseph, MI. The roof can easily be seen from atop a busy bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, where festivals and events are held throughout the year. Aside from holding a unique aesthetic appeal for the community at large, the roof is also being incorporated into the museum?s educational program as an ongoing display. The roof allows museum visitors to learn through real-life application the many ways green roofs represent environmental sustainability.

Funding was in large part provided by a donation made by a local business owner, which attests to how significant this project is to the city of St. Joseph. The impressionistic meadow design incorporates several varieties and colors of sedum, creating a harmonious overall picture with a backdrop of the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.

The Curious Kids? Discovery Zone building is a two-story structure, with a curved roof sloped from west to east. This sloping orientation of the roof allows easy visibility from a bluff located just to the east of the building. The green roof was constructed with a modular tray system (Green Shingles), which was developed from years of experience working with sedums and other succulents. The planting is made up of Sedum plants, predominantly S. spuriums. An essential component of our system is a specialized filtration media, used in 1.5? thick sheets. This media?s unique structure and density is optimal for water flow and mineral capture, while still being light weight.

All other layers are typical of an extensive green roof construction. This project had a water proofing membrane installed by Great Lakes Roofing, and the installation of the green roof took three weeks.