Think Green Building Risks Are Overstated? Check Out San Juan’s Green Roof Project
On April 27, 2011
By Scott Wolfe Jr
| Email This |  Comment (1) |
 Print
|
 Trackbacks |
San Juan, TX set out to install a beautiful green roof on a city building, but after some engineering work was performed, the roof had to be decreased substantially in size because it would not be able to support the additional weight. The story was reported by a local publication, The Monitor.
It seems the green roof weight issue came as a surprise to the local planners, who already received a grant for the installation. It shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to readers of our blog. We proposed this exact thing as a potential problem with green roofs in an October 2010 blog post: Examples of Things That Can Go Wrong With Green Building Projects. I’ve mentioned it a number number of times in various presentations I’ve given on Green Building.
The good news is that San Juan discovered this problem before the roof’s installation, reminding us that engineering reports and review of green jobs on the front end can pay dividends in the long run. This weight problem could have easily gone the other way, with the problem discovered during or after the installation.
About the Author: Scott Wolfe Jr
Scott Wolfe, Jr. obtained his J.D. degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, and his B.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Scott was recognized as a Leader in Law by CityBusiness Magazine. The son and grandson of general contractors, Scott is a construction litigator in the Pacific Northwest, and the founding member of the bi-coastal law firm, Wolfe Law Group. Scott is also the founder and CEO of Express Lien, Inc., a legal document preparation service for contractors. In 2008, City Business Magazine recognized Scott as one of its Innovators of the Year for the Express Lien concept. As an entrepreneur himself, Scott has a strong background in business and commercial transactions and laws. He focuses his practice on the legal issues facing the construction industry, and has represented clients in multi-million dollar construction disputes in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Scott is a LEED AP.
[...] Roofing Project Scaled BackMay 4, 2011Building Science, Forensics, NewsLink: http://www.themonitor.comConstruction Law Monitor points out this story from Texas publication, The Monitor.City leaders are exploring more limited [...]