A new turf roof helps the Barclays Center take a turn for the sustainable

Nearly three years after the opening of the Barclays Center, Brooklyn in September of 2012, one of its most talked about original design elements is only now taking form along the uppermost arch of the $1 billion multi-use indoor arena: a turf roof.

A joint effort of site developer Forest City Ratner Companies and Shanghai-based Greenland Group Co., the new roof— which will be built above the existing one and with an air gap that ranges from four to ten feet at the building’s highest point—will consist of connected trays of a type of flowering plant commonly known as stonecrops, arranged to create a “flocking” pattern that complements the weathering steel exterior. Environmental advantages of the turf include more effective insulation, lower heating and cooling costs, smog control, and reduced stormwater runoff.

“Our original design for the arena had anticipated a green roof as part of our effort to achieve Silver LEED certification,” MaryAnne Gilmartin, Forest City Ratner President and CEO, said. “While we independently reached that goal, we always hoped to create a green roof, further improving the environmental footprint of the arena and also making a more direct connection to the sedum-covered transit entrance on the plaza.”

Construction, which began in the spring, will take approximately nine months.

Barclays Center 620 Atlantic Avenue / barclayscenter.com