The School of Civil Engineering dedicated the M. Katherine Banks Green Roof Laboratory on Oct. 12 as part of the University's Homecoming and the school's 125th anniversary celebration. The Civil Engineering Student Advisory Council initiated the green roof project two years ago. The goal was to provide a laboratory space that offered students opportunities to study and work on sustainability and green initiatives. It also will serve as a student gathering space.

Among features of the roof are various soil and plant media, sensors to measure energy flux and a weather station. Among projects students will investigate are heat loads on the roof structure, energy-reducing technologies for the building, and the impact of a rainwater collection system for the green roof. The green roof project is the final piece of the contiguous learning space created by the recent renovations of the Lyles Ideas to Innovation, Pankow Materials and Burke Hydraulic/Hydrology labs and a newly completed research garden.

YouTube Video of the Green Roof project:
http://youtu.be/RuD3bSKpsXM

Related Article (Purdue News Service):
http://tinyurl.com/bv2hpjk