Project Spotlight: Marianjoy Hospital Green Roof

Marianjoy Hospital in Wheaton Illinois was getting an upgrade. A new patient tower, conference center and cafeteria were being added to their campus. With construction underway on the new additions, the hospital’s management recommended that an aesthetically appealing green roof system be added to an existing roof area because it would be visible from the new patient tower.

Construction underway.

They wanted to create a space that would promote patient healing through a natural environment as well as provide a place to host events. A green roof would be just that. Rather than look out onto a typical roof system, patients staying in the new tower could look from their windows down to a beautifully landscaped green roof. Also, the area could be used as a place for people to get outside and enjoy some fresh air while staying under the care of hospital staff.

The hospital contacted an architect who recommended they add the green roof on top of the existing roof system. StructureTec Group had worked with the facility manager on other projects, valuing StructureTec Group's reputation for best-in-class building envelope weatherproofing, the facility manager decided to get a second opinion.

The problem with the suggested approach was that the existing roof was not designed to support a green roof. The existing roof was a 19 year-old modified bitumen roof constructed with seams in the membrane. A green roof membrane has to be designed to hold water for the plants. Thankfully the roofing experts at StructureTec caught the error before any plans were drawn. The facility manager selected StructureTec Group to design and build the green roof using the Premier Engineered Systems project delivery method.

Premier Engineered Systems is our unique Design-Build approach. This method utilizes the design expertise of StructureTec in partnership with the construction expertise of Construction Services Group, a StructureTec Group subsidiary. This design-build approach eliminates the bidding process, allowing projects to be fast-tracked and designers and contractors to work together as a unified team. This method was necessary for the project because construction was already underway on the new patient tower. Construction Services Group (CSG), had only a brief window of time to complete the project before access to the roof was blocked by the new patient tower that would be multiple stories higher than the green roof.

CSG technicians began work on the project, only to discover that the two roof areas intended for the green roof had been built differently. On one section, the existing modified bitumen roof was adhered directly to the concrete deck, not on top of insulation as it was on the other side. This discovery required the StructureTec designers to re-engineer the roof system for that section. Otherwise the roof would have been higher than the door thresholds. A plan was developed to remove the existing roof and prepare a new concrete surface coated with an aesthetically pleasing, skid resistant PMMA surface. This completely waterproofed the roof without adding any additional height.

Installed planters.

Because Premier Engineered Systems was chosen as the project delivery method, this new challenge did not delay the project. The designers and builders were working together throughout the process, CSG was able to continue to work while the designers at StructureTec redesigned the plan for the unexpected roof system. This allowed CSG to meet their deadline without delaying construction on the new additions; a delay that could have cost the client thousands.

CSG met their deadline and installed a weatherproof and beautifully landscaped green roof. The green roof is now a real focal point of the hospital. It is a unique place where they can host events but more importantly a place that promotes patient healing reflecting the hospital’s dedication to providing the highest quality of care possible to their patients.

Completed green roof.