When the Franklin County Courthouse (Greenfield, Massachusetts) renovations are complete, visitors will be able to stand in the fourth-floor lobby and look out onto a roof covered in plants.
The state agency that constructs public buildings “tries to incorporate sustainability in all of its projects,” said Josiah Stevenson, an architect from the firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates of Boston, which is working on the new Franklin County Courthouse.
“A green roof covered with plants will eliminate the heat-island effect on the building, plants will absorb carbon dioxide, helping reduce our carbon footprint, and there will be a more aesthetic view for visitors.”
Stevenson is one of the architects working on the state’s $60 million courthouse renovation expansion, and he said a green roof is the state’s attempt to make the courthouse more sustainable.
“A green roof is always going to be better than a tar one,” continued Stevenson.