City: Washington
Country / US State / US Territory: D.C.
Type of Solution: Roof
Climate Impact: Extreme Temperatures and Urban Heat Island Effect
Social Value Created: Educational and Career Development Opportunities; Employment Opportunities; Public Health and Safety

Washington, D.C. has a Smart Roof Program that was implemented to counteract the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The program integrated roof asset and energy management projects to retrofit roofs of 435 buildings, totalling 321 acres of roof area, including schools, police stations, fire stations, park and recreation centers, and office buildings.

Program objectives include energy conservation, stormwater management, heat reflection, solar energy production, carbon management, and leading through use of best practices and community involvement. The Washington, D.C. Department of General Services is projected to save $33 million over 20 years and will result in a reduction of 20,000 metric tons of CO2e annually. Additionally, the project addressed safety issues of the aging roofs.

The program focused on two types of roofs: vegetative (green) roofs and cool roofs. Vegetative roofs are used to teach students about botany, and solar PV installations on cool roofs are used as vocational education for students on renewable energy technologies through the DC Greenworks apprenticeship program. Projects were also used to support job creation and training in the local community.

Sources:
Bluefin. (n.d.). Success stories: SmartRoof Program makes Washington DC one of the greenest cities in America. Retrieved from http://www.bluefinllc.com/success-stories/smartroof-program-makes-washington-dc-one-of-the-greenest-city-in-america/.

Rast, Richard. (October, 2013). Washington D.C. Smart Roof Program. Bluefin.

The Adaptation Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Washington D.C. smart roof – roof asset and energy management program. Retrieved from http://www.adaptationclearinghouse.org/resources/washington-d-c-smart-roof-roof-asset-and-energy-management-program.html.