Greening the Rowe Roof: A Feasibility Analysis

Abstract

In light of the growing academic interest in using full cost accounting in feasibility analyses to aid decision-makers, this report sets out to critically examine the feasibility of installing the proposed green roof on the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building and the barriers that prevented its installation. Our concurrent, mixed methods approach included literature reviews, case studies, interviews and surveys. We then applied the information gleaned to conduct a quantitative feasibility analysis which consisted of environmental/health, social/aesthetic and economic aspects that were weighted based on student survey results. We found that the main barriers to the installation of the green roof were economic. The green roof was not installed since the only option considered – intensive accessible with planters – was the most expensive one, and economic short-run concerns outweighed social and environmental concerns due to overall budget cuts. Yet, a holistic appraisal of the environmental, social and economic feasibility indicates that it is more feasible in the long-run to install an intensive accessible green roof without planters than to maintain a conventional roof, and that the possibility of having a green roof on campus gathered an overwhelmingly positive response from students. We therefore conclude our project with site-specific recommendations on how to increase the long-run feasibility of a green roof on the Rowe building.