Regional Project Profile
Fencing Academy of Philadelphia Green Roof 

Category: Implemented Retrofit Design   
Type of BMP: green roof, rooftop disconnect

| Description | Location | Partners | Cost | Contact |
 

In 2007, the Philadelphia Water Department awarded Roofscapes, Inc. with a Lifetime Achievement Award for its commitment to developing green roof technology as a stormwater management tool, both within the region and nationally. The award highlighted a 3,000 square foot green roof installed at the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia.  

The roof, originally created in 1998 as a demonstration project in West Philadelphia, is planted with meadow-like vegetation adapted to the climate variations characteristic of the East Coast. With the changing seasons, these species thrive and wane, altering the appearance of the roof. Flowering sedum can be seen in the summer and fall, while the fescue grass, sedge, and Allium, Burnet, and Dianthus flourish in the springtime.

Green roofs detain stormwater runoff, intercepting it before it can flow into the sewer system, which is especially important during high-intensity storms. Green roofs also regulate a building's temperature, reduce the heat-island effect in urban areas, and otherwise beautify unsightly black or shiny surfaced roofs.
 

County:         Philadelphia
Watershed:   Schuylkill River

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Fencing Academy of Philadelphia
Roofscapes, Inc.