Officials with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) knew a golden opportunity when they saw one. So when the time came to replace the 10-year-old roof on the association's national headquarters in Washington, D.C., they could have made the traditional decision to replace the leaking single-ply system with a comparable product.
But the project offered ASLA an opportunity to demonstrate its members' contributions to institutional and commercial facilities beyond just attractive landscapes.
"ASLA decided to install a more sustainable green roof to show one aspect of the scope of work that landscape architects perform," says ASLA's Keith Swann. But the association's vision for the project did not stop there. To truly showcase the 3,000-square-foot vegetative roof installed in 2006, the association invited the public to take a look.
"The society then decided to make it a public demonstration project so that everyone could benefit from the green roof," says Swann, who manages the roof in his role as special assistant to ASLA's executive vice president.
Vegetative Roof Matures into Showcase for Sustainability
Installing Green Roofs can be Complex Process
