GreenRoofs.com, a website that regularly posts information about new construction and renovation projects that include a green roof or rooftop garden, has featured in their Project of the Week the renovation of the headquarters of Xero Flor America (XFA), the official and exclusive U.S. distributor for the Xero Flor Green Roof System.
A year ago, XFA moved into its renovated offices in The Republik Building in the downtown historic district of Durham, North Carolina. The green roof on top of the building was completed in February of this year to become the first green roof to be installed on an historic building in the district.
XFA used chose their XF301+2 system for the green roof project because it is lightweight: only 10 to 11 pounds per square foot when fully saturated. It utilizes pre-vegetated mat technology that was engineered in Germany and has undergone extensive research and development. Hundreds of millions of square feet of Xero Flor mats, planted with varieties of Sedum, have been rolled out on tens of thousands of rooftops around the world, including 38 American states.
“While Xero Flor has extensive European roots, all our system components for projects in the U.S. are 100 percent American-made,” said Clayton Rugh, Ph.D., general manager and technical director for XFA, in a recent press release. “We grow our green roof mats at independent, locally owned farms across the country. Using local horticultural suppliers supports more sustainable agriculture and gives a boost to local economies, too.”
The project has been designed to demonstrate that properly planned and installed green roofs can be compatible with historic preservation. This installation will prevent over 50,000 gallons of storm water runoff each year. The XFA green roof, which can be accessed from an external roof ladder, is shown only to potential clients and show them how the system works.
“The green roof at 211 Rigsbee may not have the impressive scale of some of our other projects,” said Rugh. “But is has the potential to be a landmark in the greening of downtown Durham, especially to show how green roofs can help solve the area’s stormwater problem.”
Three plant palettes are featured in the XFA headquarters renovation project: Appalachian Plant Mix, Southern Plant Mix, and the Mid-Atlantic Plant Mix.
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