Keeping plants wet and the roof dry

Kansas City, Mo., doesn't need another boring, concrete-topped parking garage. So when a new garage was built at 909 Walnut Street, the building's owner hired landscape architect Jeffrey L. Bruce & Co. to turn the top of the garage into a lush community garden. The architect, in turn, specified a Soprema green roof system to transform 16,000 sf of concrete into a tree-filled, grass-covered wonderland.

The project began with a Sopralene 180 base sheet and Sopralene GR 250 cap sheet, which stood up firmly to a 48-hour flood test. Roofers then installed four-foot-thick blocks of polystyrene to bring the roofline up to the egress level of nearby buildings. Engineered soil was then packed on top at depths ranging from six to 36 inches, depending on what plants were to go in the area.

“This garden captures 75% of annual rainfall for use by the plants,” said Jeffrey Bruce. “It was essential that a superior waterproofing system was in place. With the Soprema products, we're able to offer the building owner a 20-year warranty while protecting the waterproofing from damage.”

Soprema Input 217 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse