Green Roof Ford Rouge Plant

The roof of the 1 1 million square foot 100 000 m 2 dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with more than 10 acres 4 0 ha of sedum a low growing groundcover the sedum retains and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal.

Green roof ford rouge plant. The roof is covered with 10 4 acres of sedum a genus of perennial plants that tops a 3 in thick four layer system incorporating a root resistant membrane a drainage layer a fleece mat and a vegetation blanket see schematic. It s ten years since the start of construction of the green roof on top of the big river rouge plant. In 1999 architect william mcdonough entered into an agreement with ford motor company to redesign its 85 year old 1 212 acre 490 ha rouge river facility. Ford elected to have an irrigation system installed as part of the green roof project as an insurance policy since the green roof would be viewed by thousands of rouge plant visitors each year as part of their factory tour program and they wanted to avoid any temporary setbacks during periods of extreme or prolonged drought or hot weather.

World s largest green roof ford s dearborn truck plant has the world s largest living roof according to guinness world records. The river rouge plant also known as ford dearborn truck assembly plant won the 2004 green roofs for healthy cities award of excellence in the extensive industrial commercial category. At the behest of then chairman of the board bill ford the dearborn assembly plant at the company s historic rouge facility was rebuilt in 2000 as a green showpiece under the. The 10 4 acre sedum roof insulates the building.

The design of the new assembly plant includes people friendly features such as overhead safety walkways day lighting team rooms cooler air in the summer. The roof is composed of a drought resistant. Installed in 2003 the living roof on top of ford s dearborn truck plant is flourishing as an environmental touchstone amid the iconic rouge center. The 10 4 acre living roof is part of ford s redevelopment of the ford rouge center which includes a number of progressive environmental initiatives.

Kevin described it in treehugger in 2004.