Does anyone have any experience with blue roofs? Would LEED accept a minimum of 50% of the roof being covered by a blue roof rather than a green roof? I can't find any precedent for this. It could be considered an appurtenance, however it will cover 100% of the roof which is not acceptable by LEED. Any insight would be appreciated!
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Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11477 thumbs up
January 7, 2016 - 12:10 pm
Kerrie, let's start with credit intent... does it help meet the intent of the credit? Or are you hoping to earn the credit through more of a workaround?
Kerrie Racicot
1 thumbs up
January 7, 2016 - 12:19 pm
I believe it does. They are efficient stormwater management systems that serve double duty keeping the building cool in the summer. Additionally, the roof pavers beneath the blue roof will have a high SRI in the event that the blue roof is ever removed. I guess my question would be, should we choose Option 2 for vegetated roofs and explain that it's a blue roof rather than a green roof? Or Option 1 although the SRI of the blue roof is not known at this time as the specific system not been chosen (i.e. stone/gravel, vegetation, membrane, or combination thereof).
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11477 thumbs up
January 7, 2016 - 1:35 pm
Kerrie, do you have any data to support that it keeps the building cool in the summer? It would be nice to back that up. The insulating value of green roofs have been overstated in the past, so I would be cautious about claiming the cooling benefits of water without good data.I would think it would be especially relevant to chart the effect over the season, including times when the water gets hot, and when the water is not present.I would recommend getting a LEED Interpretation or CIR. This is a significantly different approach than either Option 1 or Option 2, in my opinion.
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11477 thumbs up
January 7, 2016 - 1:35 pm
Kerrie, do you have any data to support that it keeps the building cool in the summer? It would be nice to back that up. The insulating value of green roofs have been overstated in the past, so I would be cautious about claiming the cooling benefits of water without good data.I would think it would be especially relevant to chart the effect over the season, including times when the water gets hot, and when the water is not present.I would recommend getting a LEED Interpretation or CIR. This is a significantly different approach than either Option 1 or Option 2, in my opinion.