EAST LANSING, Mich. — A team of Michigan State University students travels to Washington, D.C., this week to take part in a competition that could net them a federal grant to continue research into technology that would allow “green roofs” to be used on sloped roofs.
The students, who are in the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction, are participating in the National Sustainable Design Expo, which is part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s celebration of Earth Day 2011.
The team’s research focuses on green-roof technology – the use of drought-tolerant vegetation and other biomaterials placed on a building’s roof in order to make it more energy efficient.
Specifically, the students are working on new methods of using green technology on sloped roofs.
“The majority of residential roofs, especially here in the north, are sloped because of snow,” said Jeremy Monsma, a graduate student in the SPDC who is heading up the project. “The goal of our work is to answer fundamental questions relating to the performance of extensive green roof systems when applied to more conventional pitched roof systems.”
The team designed a modular green roof system – “a series of 18-inch by 18-inch trays that have biodegradable sides and an irrigation chamber on the bottom,” Monsma said.
Each of the modules clip into one another, creating a cohesive unit on the roof. A border is constructed at the eave of the roof to prevent the modules from sliding off, as well as a connection on the peak of the roof for more stability.
One of the goals of the team is to develop a construction manual which will assist with all future green-roof installation on steep slopes.
The competition takes place April 15-17 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The MSU team will staff a booth in which they will display their work. EPA judges will render their final verdicts on April 17.
“This is the second phase of the competition,” Monsma said. “We initially received a small grant to start our research and we were fortunate to make it this far.”
The team could earn another $75,000 that would be used to continue their work.
More information on the competition is available at here.
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