NATIONAL GREAT RIVERS RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER FIELD STATION

Foresight Services is extremely pleased to be part of the team of talented individuals who worked on the National Great Rivers project which received the 2010 Excellence in Design – Overall Innovation Award from the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing. The project team consisted of AAIC Inc (architects), River City Construction (general contractor), Roofing Services & Solutions (roofing contractor) and Foresight Services (roof consultant).  Dr. Jim Hoff, the Center’s Research Director, presented the award on October 27, 2010 to Wayne Korte of Foresight and Dr. Dale Chapman of Lewis & Clark Community College, owner of the site.

The new 23,000 sq’ Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station, located along the Mississippi River near the Melvin Price Locks & Dam in Alton, IL features the latest in sustainability solutions.   Green elements of the building include a fully intensive vegetative roof, long-wearing bamboo floors, innovative waste water technology, on-site wind and hydro power, and many other environmentally friendly and energy efficient options.  Lewis & Clark Community College will seek a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the building, the nation’s highest recognition of projects that incorporate “green” design principles.  Additional information on the field station can be found at www.ngrrec.org.

Our main goal in designing the roof was to take the creative vision developed by AAIC for a totally vegetative green roof and observation deck, and translate it into working documents.  Included were systems, details, procedures, and materials to provide a functional, aesthetically pleasing, and warrantable roof system.  The end product had to appear not so much like a roof system but as an existing component of the surrounding eco system.  The process to create it had to leave as small as possible footprint on the environment, meaning that the installation had to use a minimal amount of energy, materials, and resources.

This complex intensive green roof project incurred many in-field design challenges to accommodate the various features including solar panels, light sensors, over 50 solar tubes for interior lighting, 12 inches of growth media and native prairie grass.  An observation area with concrete pavers and guardrails was made larger to accommodate group access.  To insure there were no breaches in the membrane, an electronic field vector mapping scan was performed prior to vegetative and paver material application.

Foresight Services was the first Roof Consultant selected by Carlisle SynTec to participate in their Sustainable Roofing Alliance in May, 2008.  We can design solutions for all types of green roof installations; pre-planted trays and mats, rooftop gardens and outdoor patios, and ultra extensive – intensive green roofs.

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