Ford River Rouge Plant Green Roof

Kevin described it in treehugger in 2004.

Ford river rouge plant green roof.

The rouge fires up. The ford river rouge complex may be the world s most famous auto plant. A number of large corporate projects for the gap nike and herman miller led to his commission for a 20 year us 2 billion environmental re engineering of the ford motor company s legendary river rouge plant in dearborn michigan. The roof of the 1 1 million square foot 100 000 m 2 dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with more than 10 acres 4 0 ha of sedum a low growing groundcover the sedum retains and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal.

The ford rouge center has won numerous awards from the design business and construction industries. In 1915 henry ford bought 2000 acres along the rouge river west of detroit intending to use the site only to make coke smelt iron and build tractors. Ford had even considered turning the land into a large bird sanctuary. Installed in 2003 the living roof on top of ford s dearborn truck plant is flourishing as an environmental touchstone amid the iconic rouge center.

The 10 4 acre sedum roof insulates the building. The river rouge plant also known as ford dearborn truck assembly plant won the 2004 green roofs for healthy cities award of excellence in the extensive industrial commercial category. Over the next dozen years however the company turned the rouge as it became known into the most fully integrated car. The roof is covered with 10 4 acres of sedum a genus of perennial plants that tops a 3 in thick four layer system incorporating a root resistant membrane a drainage layer a fleece mat and a vegetation blanket see schematic.

The project included rolling out the world s largest living roof in october 2002. The living roof s primary function is to collect and filter rainfall as part of a natural storm water management system. In 1999 architect william mcdonough entered into an agreement with ford motor company to redesign its 85 year old 1 212 acre 490 ha rouge river facility. The design of the new assembly plant includes people friendly features such as overhead safety walkways day lighting team rooms cooler air in the summer.

The rouge river property still was not earmarked for any particular use. In total he acquired a 2 000 acre stretch of bottomland along the rouge river. Ford began buying the property that was to become the rouge in 1915. It is now recognized as having the one of the most iconic green roof installation in the united states that has helped to transform the green roof industry.