Butler did it: A green roof comes to the college

Indianapolis-based Eco-Roofs, a producer of environmentally friendly roof systems, has completed a 1,300-sq.-ft. green roof installation atop the four-story, 67-year-old College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis.

This is the first green roof undertaking for the University and was installed entirely by an all-volunteer crew of students, faculty and university staff, led by Eco-Roofs' accredited Green Roof Professional and project coordinator Pat Maloney.

The project was initiated by Butler biology student Sarah Strobl while researching green roofs as a topic for her honors thesis. Strobl led the effort to secure funding from the Student Government Association in order to see the project completed before the end of her senior year. After conducting feasibility studies and other background analysis, Strobl and University officials, including campus engineer Rich Michal, consulted with a number of green roof manufacturers in January 2012 and determined that Eco-Roofs was the only system that could meet all of their needs. 

Core to the university's objectives was that the installation be a learning experience for students and provide ongoing opportunities for scientific study, in addition to being an interactive green space that can be seen and used by university staff and students. One of the key features of the Eco-Roofs system is the ease of installation engineered into the modular system of plant trays.