by Shane Henson — June 24, 2011—The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has teamed up with Roofmeadow, a Philadelphia-based green roof provider, to create the city’s first “green” bus shelter, located across the street from Philadelphia’s City Hall.
PWD officials say green roofs positively contribute to the quality of life in dense urban environments by helping to manage rain water and limit the amount of pollution and particulate matter that enters rivers and streams. They also create a habitat for urban wild life and mitigate the urban heat island effect, officials note. A properly designed and maintained green roof can double or triple the life span of a waterproofing membrane and provide benefits for multiple generations of urban dwellers.
While the green roof installed on the bus shelter across from City Hall was Philadelphia’s first, Roofmeadow plans to continue teaming up with the city to roll out approximately twenty more within the next year. This initiative is part of Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters plan. The stated goal of the plan is to transform Philadelphia into the greenest city in the United States.
Roofmeadow is a 14-year-old Philadelphia-based green roof provider. They have designed and, through their network of green roof contractors, installed over 140 green roofs across the United States including Chicago City Hall, PECO Main Office Building, and New Kensington CAPA High School.
