By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Last week’s completion of a project to replace a faulty green roof system puts Rapid Central Station, the home of metro Grand Rapids' regional transit agency, back on track as the most sustainable transit system in the state. The new roof, a tray system manufactured by Spring Lake-based LiveRoof, realigns the building with the complex's other water conservation and energy saving technologies.
The original green roof, manufactured by a different company, was installed in 2004 and failed to perform to The Rapid’s expectations, necessitating the need for a $220,000 replacement.
“We believe this product will meet our needs and we remain committed to sustainable operations,” says spokesperson Jennifer Kalczuk. “We also have large cisterns underneath the platform that collect the stormwater runoff. They spin the water to collect the debris and then only clean water is discharged into city’s stormwater system.”
Rapid Central Station is the country’s first LEED-certified transit facility and is surrounded by rain gardens that reduce the amount of pavement, and thereby reduce the opportunities for runoff of contaminants.
The green roof, which is on two separate sections of the roof, helps maintain the building’s temperature and protects the building from UV damage; the interior floor is made of recycled glass; and the addition of hybrid buses on regular routes conserves fuel and reduces exhaust emissions.
Source: Jennifer Kalczuk, The Rapid
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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