Dane County Executive Falk Announces Roof Garden for Dane County Justice Center

March 04, 2005
Lesley Sillaman, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606
County Executive

Madison – Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk today announced the design of a “green roof” for the new Dane County Justice Center (courthouse) that will provide the building both environmental and aesthetic benefits for citizens. “The roof will provide environmental benefits such as catching stormwater runoff and providing noise mitigation,” said Falk. “It will feature plants and benches and can serve as a space for weddings and as a quiet resting place while people are waiting for hearings or court proceedings.” The space is on the second floor, (not on the main 8th floor roof) on a small roof area encompassing about 1300 square feet. It will be accessible to both staff and the public. Falk added that the green roof is part of a larger effort to ensure the Dane County Justice Center is a “green building.” In addition, both the demolition of the old building and the construction of the new one include the following “green” features: · 97% of site demolition materials from the old Hamilton building were recycled or reused on other projects, including approximately 450 tons of drywall that could be ground and spread for beneficial reuse on agricultural land, approximately 130 tons of concrete waste, carpet remnants, ceiling tile scraps, plastic paint buckets and furniture packaging · The new courthouse uses special tinted glass to reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in summer · The new building will also use automatic lighting controls that can dim the lights based on the availability of daylight and use motion controls to turn lights on and off · The new building also uses cooling efficiency technology that reduces cooling energy consumption The cost of the “green roof” is about $30,000 and is a part of the overall budget for the courthouse. The resolution adopting the “green roof” was introduced at the County Board meeting Thursday, March 3 and was referred to committee. ###