JW Winco Adding Greenery to Milwaukee's Urban Space with Green Roof System

An increasing number of companies today are willingly making substantial investments to showcase their concern for the environment. The heavy engineering company J.W. Winco, Inc has moved forward in its own green efforts by venturing to install a fully vegetated green roof system on its New Berlin, Wis., facility.

When it came to replace its two-decades-old roof system, J.W. Winco started exploring several eco-friendly options and finally zeroed on the green roof system that would not only support the recycling of rainwater, but also save on the facility’s cooling costs.

The company’s remodeling project has been approved under the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Regional Green Roof Initiative. The initiative has been designed to encourage the installation of green roof systems in its service area.

A green roof gives building owners a number of benefits:

Green roofs hold rainwater where it falls. This helps reduce the risks of sewer overflow. It helps improve the overall water quality in the area.

On an average summer day, green roofs remain cooler by as much as 90 degrees than a conventional roof.

The vegetation on green roofs reduces heat retention and keeps the building cool, thereby significantly lowering energy usage.

Last but not least, green roofs help extend roof life by protecting the roof from harmful ultraviolet rays and temperature extremes.

Green roofs are also aesthetically pleasing and add up to urban green space. They are not complicated to install too. The green roof project takes not more than three weeks to be completed.

J.W. Winco hopes that its advanced green roof system will be helpful in storm management and rainwater retention for reuse. The roof has been designed by the Milwaukee-based company Hanging Gardens.

The green roof system is complemented with retention zone beneath the roof. The rainwater is accumulated in this region and then used for self-irrigation of the roof via a capillary system. Thus the roof is maintained by rainwater rather than municipal tap water.