Bishop Loughlin High School Installs Brooklyn's Second Largest Green Roof

Yesterday the folks at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School hosted tours of its newly installed green roof — once it’s fully complete, it’ll be the second largest green roof in Brooklyn. The Department of Environmental Protection selected the high school for its Green Infrastructure Grant Program. Bishop Loughlin then teamed with Highview Creations to cover its 18,000-square-foot roof in greenery. Right now, about an eighth of the green roof is finished. It’ll take two to three weeks to cover the rest of the roof, and once the greenery is installed, it’ll last for years. The turf is a mix of sedum, succulents, grasses, and other drought tolerant plants. Amazingly, once fully installed on the roof, the plants will not need to be irrigated or replaced. In the wintertime the plants will not lose their leaves, only recede a bit and change color. The soil is mostly composed of expanded shale, which is sturdy in the wind and rain.

The benefits of the green roof are numerous. Four inches of soil acts as a membrane for the roof, so it will not need to be replaced or repaired. The soil also helps keep heat inside the building. The roof collects rainwater, reducing storm water run-off. Drainage channels were also installed underneath the plantings for any excess water. And the school will use the roof for educational purposes, allowing students an opportunity to study environmental issues in the city. Click through for more photos of the tour…

Below, Eric Dalski from Highview Creations explains the benefits of the roof.