Downtown: Main library adds roof full of plants
by Clint Bowie, Special to The Oregonian
Thursday October 09, 2008, 1:00 AM
The leaky old roof at Multnomah County's Central Library has been replaced with a green one, with 17,000 plants, including sedums and drought-tolerant grasses.
"The county has been championing eco-roofs for a number of years," library spokeswoman Penny Hummel says. "So when we needed a new roof for the Central Library, they decided to pursue funding for an eco-roof."
Work was paid for in part with two grants, one from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and one from the Green Investment Fund.
The new roof is expected to cut energy costs 6 to 8 percent in summer and 50 percent in winter, Hummel adds. The plants also will help reduce rainwater runoff and will most likely double or even triple the life of the roof, she says.
County Commissioner Maria Rojo de Steffey unveiled the 7,200-square-foot greenspace at a dedication ceremony late last month. Tours of the roof will be offered this fall. Learn more at www.multcolib.org.
--Clint Bowie
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