UofL's first green roof tops College of Business addition

The University of Louisville’s College of Business just got something no other UofL building has ever had — a “green” roof created with living plants and reflective roofing. June 5, 2012

The M. Krista Loyd Sky Garden is expected to trim 25 percent from heating and cooling costs in the two-story addition it covers. It also drains to a rain garden on the ground below to help prevent campus flooding.

“In recent years, student and faculty accomplishments have transformed our College of Business from a school of convenience into a college of choice,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “We’re proud that our business school — which leads the region in academic excellence and continues to place well in national rankings — also is ahead of the pack when it comes to environmentally friendly construction.”

The roof, named for the late daughter of Raymond and Eleanor Loyd of Louisville who donated $55,000 for the project, sits atop a new 7,000-square-foot wing on the college's west side. The wing provides much-needed space for the school’s Equine Industry Program and Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship, Dean Charlie Moyer said at a June 5 dedication ceremony.

Besides the roof, other green features of the new wing include:

  • 97 percent of all occupied spaces have natural day lighting; 94 percent have a direct line of sight to the outside.
  • Radiant heat panels along the window wall keep the rooms evenly heated.
  • Low-E glass reduces heat buildup in the summer and reflects heat back in the winter.
  • Low VOC-emitting paint, sealant, adhesives and flooring reduce indoor air contaminants.

The equine program will occupy the first floor of the $3.4 million addition, while the second floor will house the entrepreneurship program. Each 3,500-square-foot floor includes faculty office space, a student computer/practice lab and a conference room.

“Not only will this wing provide more office space for our faculty, but it will allow us to create a new student classroom on the atrium level of our main building,” Moyer said.

The college offers undergraduate programs in business, accounting and economics, a Master of Accountancy degree and several types of Master of Business Administration degrees. It also offers a unique PhD program in entrepreneurship.