On top of the 9th floor of the Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 building, across the street, is the first extensive green roof in Colorado.
The EPA 20,000 sq ft roof is covered with a variety of herbaceous plants such as sedum, cactus and grass, some of which are native to this region. The Alliance Center’s gravel ballast roof provides an experimental “control” site for scientific comparison.
Both roofs have:
- Weather stations to measure temperature differences.
- Instruments to monitor stormwater runoff rates and quantities.
- Water collectors for water quality analysis.
Benefits of a Green Roof:
- Reduces heating and cooling energy usage and cost.
- Reduces heat caused by the “Heat Island Effect” of the city by as much as 7 degrees F.
- Filters rain water and releases it slowly.
- Extends the life expectancy of the roof by as much as three times.
- Improves air quality by soaking up carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, and filtering microscopic airborne particulate matter.
Learn more by viewing our building tour sign
Resources:
Click here to return to the building features tour main page
The Alliance Center is open for self-guided tours M-F, 9-5:00pm. Please download the self-guided tour brochure (PDF)
Guided tours are offered at 2pm on the 1st Friday of each month and meet in the first floor lobby. Group tours can be arranged by appointment. Please contact us for more information.
