Florida International University (FIU) is a leading research university located in western Miami. The Florida International University Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) is a $40 million project hoping to attain LEED Gold certification. Completed on January 1, 2011, the greenroof is over the double height 480 seat auditorium and is overlooked by the attached 5 story office/classroom building.

The FIU-SIPA greenroof is a hybrid system with an average soil depth of 6″ and drip irrigation. We would prefer to eliminate irrigation, but the combination of a sloped roof and the sub-tropical climate demand irrigation, particularly during establishment.

Miami is a sub-tropical climate and all greenroofs in tropical and sub-tropical climates could be considered experimental since few or no sedums survive with such high humidity. Also, there is no winter dormancy period for plants, but there is a dry season.

This is Florida International University’s second greenroof; see the first, the FIU Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, constructed in 2010.