By Healthcare Facilities Today

When Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash. needed to replace the 16,000-square-foot structural roof over the operating suites, they went one step further and installed a 10,000-square-foot section of vegetative roofing as well. It is the first green roof in the city, according to the manufacturer.

The 142-bed regional hospital was pursuing multiple benefits with the vegetated roof. First, the family birthing center and the west side of the intensive care unit look out on that part of the roof, so the Tremco Roofing Sedum Mat System was selected for its ability to provide an instant green roof, featuring extensive vegetative coverage with mature, full-grown plants.

The system uses pre-vegetated mats from Xero Flor, which are grown regionally by independent farms so the plants are well established and adapted to the installation's climate. They can be installed quickly and require minimum maintenance, according to the manufacturer. The quick installation was also beneficial to patient privacy and limited disruption.

In addition, it is expected the vegetative roof will double the life of the new roof membrane, will reduce the temperature of the air drawn into the rooftop HVAC units in the summer, and improve storm water management.

The Xero Flor pre-vegetated mat technology is Cradle to Cradle certified.

Learn more at www.xeroflora.com.