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New athletics fields and a
Field House to house the school’s intercollegiate sports programs were
constructed in a $4.5 million 2005 project on the Temple Ambler campus.
With funding provided by PECO, a 4,000 square foot green roof was
installed on the new Field House. The roof garden serves as a living
laboratory, where students study energy efficiency, roof temperatures,
water quality, and water retention. The roof garden reduces
stormwater runoff to Rose Creek, a tributary to the Wissahickon Creek.
The installation of this
green roof included five layers upon the Field House. The first layer
consists of a waterproof membrane to prevent leaks, while a second
layer, a root barrier membrane, prevents roots from damaging the roof. A
third layer allows for drainage and is composed of coarse sand and
gravel. The fourth layer is the growing medium, which is about 4 inches
deep. The fifth layer, or surface layer, is made of porous expanded poly
propylene to allow for rooting and draining.
Two different sections of
vegetation were planted on the roof: one was a traditional cutting mat
and the other was a variety of diverse species. The goal of the set-up
was to determine which section and which species grow the most
successfully in the local climate. Some species included in the
installation were from the Sedum, Delosperma, Jovibarba, Orostachys,
Petrorhagia, Sempervivum, and Talinum families.
The bi-annual
inspections by a contractor included inspection, weeding, and replanting
of unsuccessful
plants for a two-year period. Otherwise, maintenance on the roof includes habitual surveillance by Temple. In September 2008 the dominant species on the roof were Sedum spurium,
Sedum floriferum, Sedum album, Sedum sexangulare, and Sedum
kamtschaticum. The Department of Landscape Architecture and
Horticulture at Temple Ambler designed a new plant list for
portions of the green roof and the roof was replanted in October 2008. The 3-inch substrate limited
the species that could be installed. The department aimed at
putting taller plants in the garden around the perimeter of the
roof. The small plugs that were recently installed need a season
or two to grow in.
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County:
Montgomery
Watershed: Wissahickon Creek
Temple University Ambler campus is located at 580 Meetinghouse Road in
Upper Dublin Township and is home to the University's Departments of
Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, and Community and Regional
Planning.
The green roof is
atop the “Field House,” which is located off of Woods Drive near the
baseball and softball fields. This facility provides equipment storage,
offices, weight rooms, lockers and other amenities for Temple’s sports
teams and their coaches.
Rose Creek, a
tributary to Wissahickon Creek, flows through the landscape of the
Ambler Campus.
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