Barclays Center is Getting a Green Roof!
There is one more thing to cheer about at Barclays Center. The sports and entertainment venue in Brooklyn is about to get a little greener thanks to a collaboration between Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) and the Shanghai-based Greenland Group Co. Barclays will soon be topped off with small plants and a soil-like cover to create an expansive 130,000-square-foot green roof!
A green roof was in the initial plans for Barclays Center as part of creating a LEED certified building. However, the arena was completed without one. The good news is that in spite of the roof, the venue was still able to achieve a LEED Silver certification.
Though the installation is certainly motivated by a desire to continue to reduce Barclays Center’s environmental impact, it is also an opportunity to blend the building with the neighborhood — which seems especially important as a number of surrounding residential buildings are currently under construction. The developer also hopes that the newly planted roof will help muffle loud noise from concerts. Barclays has been receiving complaints from neighbors since it first opened in 2012.
The roof’s construction is anticipated to take nine months. Once completed, it will be the largest roof of this nature in the city. Ifie Chang, the CEO of Greenland USA Holding Company, went so far as to say possibly the country.
Until then, think green and make sure to do your part by recycling after each concert or game.
[Via Forest City Ratner Companies]
