{"id":1774,"date":"2007-07-16T17:04:45","date_gmt":"2007-07-16T21:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/?p=1774"},"modified":"2014-12-16T17:05:34","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T22:05:34","slug":"greener-pastures-ames-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"This<\/a>
This computer generated image depicts the three sections of Ames Hall\u2019s roof, which students propose could serve as an outdoor laboratory and a model of sustainable design. Below, in a lively discussion, the students enjoy answering the dean\u2019s challenging questions about their work.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When 11 engineering seniors look at the flat, black roof of Ames Hall, they see the potential to make the world a better place. The fact that the roof membrane is old and scheduled to be replaced next year just makes it that much more appealing.<\/p>\n

The roof is currently home to a couple of potted corn stalks (placed there by Professor Grace Brush to gather pollen samples). But the students envision it covered with the tiny white blossoms of sedum album, the delicate pink of sedum spurium, and many other colors of the more than 400 species of leaf succulents that comprise the sedum genus.<\/p>\n

On May 8, 2007, the students presented this verdant vision for Ames Hall to university leaders, including Whiting School dean Nick Jones and Davis Bookhart, Johns Hopkins\u2019 manager of energy management and environmental stewardship. The \u201cAmes Hall Green Roof Proposal\u201d is the culmination of their semester-long senior design project sponsored jointly by the departments of Civil Engineering and Geography and Environmental Engineering (DoGEE).<\/p>\n

The project, originally proposed by Bookhart, charged the students with investigating the viability of covering the flat, rubber membrane portion of Ames Hall\u2019s roof with a carpet of plants, one way that the university could demonstrate environmental leadership by embracing smart, sensible, and creative actions that promote sustainability. \u201cThis was an excellent way to teach our students about important changes happening in building design,\u201d says Ben Schafer, an associate professor of Civil Engineering. \u201cEspecially the movement toward sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal behind green roof projects like this one (which are now being embraced in cities spanning the country) is to offer protection against ultraviolet degradation, mechanical damage, and temperature extremes while simultaneously providing insulation that lowers heating and cooling costs for buildings and reduces the \u201curban heat island effect.\u201d Additional benefits: Garden roofs contribute to better air quality, substantially reduce storm water run-off (which helps to mitigate sediment erosion), and offer urban meccas for birds, bees, and butterflies.<\/p>\n\"R&Dsummer200708\"<\/a>\n

The students\u2019 final proposal combines \u201cextensive\u201d and \u201cintensive\u201d approaches. The two sections over the building\u2019s wings would be extensive, with a low soil weight and plants capable of surviving under a broad range of conditions, serving as a learning lab for students. The center section would be semi-intensive, with a single tree, a plastic deck, gravel paths, and benches\u2014an area suitable for gatherings of students and faculty.<\/p>\n

To get to this point, the students worked in groups and tackled different aspects of the project including water management, stakeholder interests, the structural capacity of the roof, and a life cycle analysis evaluating the total environmental costs and benefits of the project. A structural analysis of the building determined how much weight it could support. The amount and quality of the roof\u2019s water runoff was calculated and drainage options were considered. The students looked at the building\u2019s thermal performance, selected different types of plantings, and considered the insulation benefits a green roof could offer. In addition, they balanced all of these factors against the admittedly higher cost of \u201cgoing green.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, they concluded that although the initial investment to build a green roof would be $234,825 ($137,826 more than the cost of simply replacing the existing rubber membrane), the school would realize approximately $31,721 in cooling and storm water fee savings over the green roof\u2019s predicted 40-year life span. Additional benefits include decreased air pollution and providing an example of sustainable design to the Hopkins community and beyond\u2014not to mention, the green roof can be expected to last twice as long as the conventional roof planned for Ames Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time our departments have done a collaborative design project together and I think we met all of our objectives,\u201d says Schafer. \u201cThe students worked together and learned how to do practical design that makes financial sense.\u201d Adds DoGEE Professor Peter Wilcock, \u201cThe first design concepts they came up with were far too costly, but they were able to shift gears. They came up with a realistic design that could actually be built.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students\u2019 plan is now in the hands of Dean Jones and the Office of Facilities Management. \u201cI would love to say that our design will be implemented,\u201d says civil engineering design team member Emily Roche. \u201cBut if nothing else, I hope our presentation convinced the school that these kinds of adaptations are possible\u2014that it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When 11 engineering seniors look at the flat, black roof of Ames Hall, they see the potential to make the world a better place. The fact that the roof membrane is old and scheduled to be replaced next year just makes it that much more appealing. The roof is currently home to a couple of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-development","issue-summer-2007"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGreener Pastures for Ames Hall - JHU Engineering Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall - JHU Engineering Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When 11 engineering seniors look at the flat, black roof of Ames Hall, they see the potential to make the world a better place. The fact that the roof membrane is old and scheduled to be replaced next year just makes it that much more appealing. The roof is currently home to a couple of...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"JHU Engineering Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-07-16T21:04:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-12-16T22:05:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RDsummer200707.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"805\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"479\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Abby Lattes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Abby Lattes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Abby Lattes\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0244393be370fbc3ead8ec26062e9742\"},\"headline\":\"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall\",\"datePublished\":\"2007-07-16T21:04:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-12-16T22:05:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":785,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/RDsummer200707.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Research & Development\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/\",\"name\":\"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall - JHU Engineering Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/RDsummer200707.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2007-07-16T21:04:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-12-16T22:05:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0244393be370fbc3ead8ec26062e9742\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/RDsummer200707.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/RDsummer200707.jpg\",\"width\":805,\"height\":479,\"caption\":\"This computer generated image depicts the three sections of Ames Hall\u2019s roof, which students propose could serve as an outdoor laboratory and a model of sustainable design. Below, in a lively discussion, the students enjoy answering the dean\u2019s challenging questions about their work.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/2007\\\/07\\\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/\",\"name\":\"JHU Engineering Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/engineering.jhu.edu\\\/magazine-archive\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0244393be370fbc3ead8ec26062e9742\",\"name\":\"Abby Lattes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c56cb7af5427f847aa288542444ba9ff3d2107bf85dc6c6d44a4d1315608258d?s=96&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c56cb7af5427f847aa288542444ba9ff3d2107bf85dc6c6d44a4d1315608258d?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c56cb7af5427f847aa288542444ba9ff3d2107bf85dc6c6d44a4d1315608258d?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Abby Lattes\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall - JHU Engineering Magazine","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall - JHU Engineering Magazine","og_description":"When 11 engineering seniors look at the flat, black roof of Ames Hall, they see the potential to make the world a better place. The fact that the roof membrane is old and scheduled to be replaced next year just makes it that much more appealing. The roof is currently home to a couple of...","og_url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/","og_site_name":"JHU Engineering Magazine","article_published_time":"2007-07-16T21:04:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-12-16T22:05:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":805,"height":479,"url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RDsummer200707.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Abby Lattes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Abby Lattes","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/"},"author":{"name":"Abby Lattes","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/#\/schema\/person\/0244393be370fbc3ead8ec26062e9742"},"headline":"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall","datePublished":"2007-07-16T21:04:45+00:00","dateModified":"2014-12-16T22:05:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/"},"wordCount":785,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RDsummer200707.jpg","articleSection":["Research & Development"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/","url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/","name":"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall - JHU Engineering Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RDsummer200707.jpg","datePublished":"2007-07-16T21:04:45+00:00","dateModified":"2014-12-16T22:05:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/#\/schema\/person\/0244393be370fbc3ead8ec26062e9742"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RDsummer200707.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RDsummer200707.jpg","width":805,"height":479,"caption":"This computer generated image depicts the three sections of Ames Hall\u2019s roof, which students propose could serve as an outdoor laboratory and a model of sustainable design. Below, in a lively discussion, the students enjoy answering the dean\u2019s challenging questions about their work."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2007\/07\/greener-pastures-ames-hall\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Greener Pastures for Ames Hall"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/#website","url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/","name":"JHU Engineering Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/#\/schema\/person\/0244393be370fbc3ead8ec26062e9742","name":"Abby Lattes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c56cb7af5427f847aa288542444ba9ff3d2107bf85dc6c6d44a4d1315608258d?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c56cb7af5427f847aa288542444ba9ff3d2107bf85dc6c6d44a4d1315608258d?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c56cb7af5427f847aa288542444ba9ff3d2107bf85dc6c6d44a4d1315608258d?s=96&r=g","caption":"Abby Lattes"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1774"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2881,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774\/revisions\/2881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}