Director of the Laboratory for Energy Reclamation and Innovation Prof. Robert Dell of Mechanical Engineering, is installing an experimental green roof plots on the Foundation Building using his heated ground technology. If only one quarter of the buildings using Consolidated Edison’s steam had this system for its waste steam condensate, we could save over a million cubic meters per year of potable water now used for cooling the condensate.

This experimental technology also extends the growing season and increase plant growth by 20%. Prof. Dell has similar experimental gardens in Iceland.

Six Mechanical Engineering masters’ degree students are using aspects of the project; two for Masters thesis, two for their senior projects and two for independent study.

Six two square-meter green roof plots are being installed and monitored on the northeast corner roof area of the Foundation Building at The Cooper Union. Four of the plots will be heated; two will be unheated control plots. All of the plots will contain the same green roof growth medium and the same hoses, drainage layer and roof membrane. The plants will be periodically measured for the rate of plant maturation, duration of flowering cycle, etc.

Below the drainage layer, drain will be installed in each bed, located at the lowest elevation on each garden bed for the collection, storage and measurement of runoff. The growth medium will be measured for temperature, moisture and in addition to any changes in the soil chemistry.

The heated beds should be able to retain more rain water that will further reduce the demands on New York City’s sewers in addition to the potable cooling water that would no longer burden the system.