‘Green Roof’ Planted on New Patient Tower

plants on roof

Vegetation designed to support the environment and reduce energy costs

Falls Church, VA – (October 2, 2012) – You may not be able to see it, but Inova Fairfax Medical Campus’ new patient tower is now home to a mini ecosystem where plants, insects and birds are flourishing. In recent weeks, a vegetative ‘green roof’ has taken root atop a 4,000 square foot portion of the tower’s roof. Planted in late August, the roof features 10 varieties of sedum that were planted in four inches of a special soil. Designed to absorb rainwater and reduce runoff, the self-sustaining roof will also reduce energy costs in the summer, provide a pleasing view of nature for patients, and offer a sustainable habitat year-round.

“Inova is committed to the health of our patients and our employees, and as responsible members of this community, we are also committed to keeping our earth healthy as well,” said Kristin Feliciano, Administrator, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus.

The roof was designed by award-winning healthcare architectural design firm Wilmot Sanz.

To read more about Inova’s environmental sustainability program go to www.inova.org/gogreen.

Follow Inova Fairfax Medical Campus’s expansion at www.inova.org/ifhconstruction.

construction worker on roof

The ‘green roof’ was hoisted onto the new patient tower by crane.

sustainable roof

After initial watering, the roof is now self-sustaining with rainwater.

Inova is a not-for-profit health care system located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, serving over two million people with over 1,700 licensed beds based in Northern Virginia.  Inova consists of five hospitals including the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Center with Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care unit.  Inova encompasses many health services including the nationally and internationally recognized Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI), Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) on genomics, Inova Neuroscience Institute and Inova Children’s Hospital.  Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research.  More information and statistics about Inova is at www.inova.org.

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