Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Lauren Rubinfield A 'green' roof is being built on Kings Court/English House in an effort to provide environmental benefits. It is scheduled for a Jan. completion. [Click to enlarge]

Officially, Penn is a school where student and faculty loyalties lie with the Red and Blue.

But for University administrators, going green is increasingly becoming an appealing alternative.

At least that's the case at Kings Court/English College House, where construction is well underway on a new "green" roof - a roof designed to be environmentally friendly, and maybe even more durable.

It will include several layers of surfacing intended to help the school reduce energy usage, manage storm water runoff, improve air quality and reduce the amount of sewage underneath.

The top layer will feature vegetation that will help Penn curb carbon dioxide and smog in the air.

The roof will also insulate the building by adding mass to the top of it.

Construction on the $1.5 million roof is slated for completion by January 2008.

For students currently living in the dorms, the benefits of the roof seem to outweigh the noisy construction.

"I think this is a great step in the right direction," Engineering sophomore Steve McGill said of the new roof, even though construction on it has woken him up as early as 7:30 a.m.

"I'm looking forward to how it looks on Google Maps," he said. "It looks really cool."

Construction on the new roof has posed a few disruptions, including the temporary closing of the Mirage Coffehouse on the roof of English House.

In general, "the disruption to students is minimal," Housing and Conference Services spokeswoman Dana Matkevich wrote in an e-mail.

She added that the noisiest part of the construction - the demolition phase - was completed during the summer when the building was unoccupied.

English House Resident Advisor and Engineering senior Preeti Rajendran said she has not heard any complaints about the noise.

"I think they're actually doing a pretty good job of keeping it down," said Wharton and College junior Jin Joo, who lives right near the construction area.

Kings Court was the ideal place for the environmentally-friendly roof since its roof was already due for renovation, Matkevich said.

The roof may last longer than a standard roof - as much as 20 to 30 years.

The vegetation will require regular maintenance and will cause the roof to be heavier than most, but administrators reviewed structural capabilities before moving forward with the project, Matkevich added.

Once the project is completed, officials will gauge its success to determine whether more green roofs will be built on other buildings across campus.

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