Brad Young Lands Early Green Roof Certification
Brad Young, senior landscape architect with HDR Architecture, Inc. for the past 15 years, is among the nation’s first recipients of the Green Roof Professional (GRP) accreditation through Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), a network of public and private organizations based in Toronto and active throughout North America.
Young’s GRP accreditation verifies that he has attained the level of interdisciplinary knowledge of best practices associated with the successful design, installation and maintenance of green roof systems. To gain the accreditation, he successfully completed four courses and a multi-disciplinary exam encompassing five areas of concentration, including pre-design, design, contract management, quality assurance and support, and maintenance.
Successful green roofs require a combination of knowledge and expertise in the so-called “black arts” and “green arts,” according to GRHC. The black arts focus on critical, non-living elements of a green roof, such as waterproofing, structural engineering and project management, while the green arts deal with living architectural components such as water management, growing media, plants and maintenance. Very few industry professionals currently have the knowledge and expertise that encompass all of these disciplines, GRHC officials said.
“HDR’s presence in this emerging field is enhanced by having an accredited green roof specialist on staff,” Young said. “Not only does it promote sustainability, but it shows our expertise in green roofs for aesthetics and design qualities on the many projects we pursue. And it shows further strength in storm water management, an important part of responsible design and a key element for LEED credit. We can offer our clients a more comprehensive package of services.”
Young is based in HDR Architecture’s Omaha, Neb., office.
