A rooftop oasis

Friday, June 23, 2006

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This is what the current roof looks like.

The City of Tampa wants to turn a standard roof into a plush garden oasis.

The so-called "green roof" is becoming a trend in many urban settings and now city leaders hope the environmentally friendly concept will take root on one of its largest roofs.

The city is considering turning the roof of the Tampa Convention Center into a garden. Right now, it's just a basic black roof, but Tampa City Council member Linda Saul-Sena wants to transform the tar paper and roofing cement into a garden showcase for the city.

"When people come to town it would be such a glamorous place to stand up on a roof garden and enjoy Tampa," Saul-Sena said.

The green roof concept is catching on in many American and European cities. There are even web sites devoted to spreading the concept. Saul-Sena said it could pay for itself in the long run because it cuts power use.

Convention center manager John Moores said there's a much bigger problem that needs to be addressed before the green roof is installed. He said workers have had to patch up many roof leaks in recent months. However, he said he would welcome a green roof once the 700,000-square-foot roof is sealed.

"But, of course we are a functioning convention center and that's our number one concern," Moores said. "We have to satisfy all of the needs of a convention center, but certainly if this is an application that makes sense, we're going to have a look at it."

The tourist development council is close to dedicating $5 million to seal the roof. Saul-Sena said she's pushing for a state environmental grant of almost $20 million to install the green roof.

Green roof advocates said there are no major green roofs in the Bay area yet, but they said many major cities like Chicago, Portland and Atlanta have created green roofs on large municipal buildings.