October 31, 2003

Colleges Test the Benefits of Roofs That Need Weeding

By SCOTT CARLSON

The long, flat roof of a classroom building at a Maryland college has a benefit that its architect never anticipated: It makes great garden space.

So say officials at Harford Community College. Joppa Hall, a boxy, circa-1964 building, will be expanded next year, and part of the renovation will be a new, two-level "green roof" -- covered not with tar paper or shingles, but with water-absorbent rocks and colorful plants.

Green roofs, the darlings of environmentally minded

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