DEARBORN, MI — Ford’s giant Rouge truck plant in Dearborn has turned one of its largest roofs into a living landscape, with 10.5 acres of flowering plants now stretching above the factory floor.
The rooftop garden helps collect and filter rainwater, eases runoff problems and adds habitat for birds, butterflies and other small wildlife while trucks continue rolling out below.
A roof designed to work like land
The green roof sits atop Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant, part of the larger Rouge complex that has long been central to the automaker’s manufacturing history. When the roof was completed in 2002, it covered about 454,000 square feet and was considered the largest green roof in the world at the time.
Ford said the design used drought-resistant sedum rather than conventional roofing materials. The company also says the living roof helps keep the building about 10 degrees warmer in winter and 10 degrees cooler in summer, which reduces heating and cooling needs…