Recover Green Roofs Supports Emma Willard School’s New Performing Arts Center Featuring Expansive Green Roof

Troy, NY —July 30, 2025 — Recover Green Roofs recently joined Emma Willard School to unveil its new Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, a major campus development that blends modern educational spaces with a deep commitment to sustainability. This project, part of Emma Willard’s long-term vision to enhance its historic campus, includes vibrant new facilities for arts, music, and performance while incorporating innovative green infrastructure to support the school’s environmental goals.

A key feature of the expansion is a 13,000-square-foot fully accessible green roof installed by Recover Green Roofs. The Hydrotech Litetop Lawn system slopes gracefully from ground level, arches over the new, below-ground portion of the Wallace Center Arts Wing, and connects seamlessly to the newly renovated entrance—blurring the line between built environment and natural landscape.

“This project represents the best of what green roofs can offer—functionality, beauty, and sustainability, all while serving as an active, accessible space for students,” said Mark Winterer, Co-Founder and Owner of Recover Green Roofs. “It’s a perfect example of how living architecture can enhance not just a building but an entire campus experience.”

The green roof assembly features a layered system typical of a protected membrane roof, including root barrier, six inches of Plazamate XPS insulation, Hydrotech’s GR50 drainage aggregate, and a minimum of eight inches of Litetop lawn media finished with locally sourced bluegrass sod.

In addition to the expansive lawn, Recover installed 1,100 square feet of intensive pollinator gardens with soil depths reaching up to 14 inches, fostering biodiversity and ecological learning opportunities for students.

David Elzer AIA, Project Architect at Annum stated, "The green roof on the Wallace Center is one of the most essential aspects of this project. Having been tasked with adapting and expanding a large stone structure at the center of the Emma Willard School campus, we knew how important it was for the addition to respect its historic surroundings. We decided on a simple, low slung grass roof that touches down to the ground on either side, blending into the landscape and creating an inviting new ‘hillside’ for all to enjoy.”

In terms of collaboration and the intended results, Elzer shared, “Recover Green Roofs was a great partner all the way through construction, from helping us optimize the roof assembly and manage costs to their expert installation as the project came to completion. One of the greatest satisfactions of this project was watching the roof literally come alive as the grass was installed and then seeing how quickly students began using and enjoying this unique campus hangout space."

Consigli Construction Co., Inc. led the project’s construction and coordinated multiple subcontractor and trade partners to ensure the building’s performance standards aligned with Emma Willard’s sustainability mission.

“Emma Willard School is committed to fostering leadership and confidence in young women, and Consigli was honored to further that mission with the successful delivery of the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for Performing Arts, which preserved and transformed historic Alumnae Chapel into a new, sustainable hub for creativity,” said Jennifer Rand, Regional Director – Capital District for Consigli Construction Co., Inc. “Our partnership with Emma Willard School to help develop the next generation of leaders goes beyond the jobsite, and we are proud to help build spaces and create opportunities that inspire girls to grow and succeed.”

Leaders at Emma Willard School see the Chapel and Arts Wing as more than just a new building—it’s a space that reflects the school’s values and educational mission. “Preserving the architectural integrity of our historic campus while advancing our sustainability goals has always been a priority,” said Scott Kosnick, Director of Facilities Construction Management with Emma Willard School. “The installation of a green roof on the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts is a meaningful step forward—not only in reducing our environmental footprint, but in demonstrating how modern innovation and historic preservation can go hand in hand. This project reflects our commitment to responsible stewardship of both the past and the future.”

This Chapel and Arts Wing expansion reflects Emma Willard’s commitment to creating inspiring spaces that support academic excellence, artistic exploration, and environmental responsibility.

About Recover Green Roofs
Recover Green Roofs is a design-build firm specializing in the design, installation, and maintenance of green roofs, including rooftop gardens, farms, and amenity spaces. Recover has designed and built residential, commercial, and institutional buildings across New England and beyond for over a decade, emphasizing the stacking benefits that a green roof provides to its community, local ecosystems, and the environment at large. We strive to create long-lasting, thriving green roofs that aid in recovering nature in our built environment in order to support healthier communities and more resilient cities. For more information, visit: www.recovergreenroofs.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Emma Willard School
Founded by Emma Hart Willard in 1814 at a time when girls were not afforded opportunities and access to education, her namesake school was established to foster in each student a love of learning, the habits of an intellectual life, and the character, moral strength, and qualities of leadership to serve and shape the world. Emma Willard School is located in Troy, NY, offering independent boarding and day schooling for nearly 360 students in grades 9-12. For more information about the school and admissions, please visit: emmawillard.org/admissions

About Annum Architects:
Annum Architects’ (previously Ann Beha Architects) projects explore the discourse between heritage and the future, to establish new identities and settings for arts, education, and the civic realm. The firm’s design honors include awards from the Boston Society of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society for College and University Planning, and the American Institute of Architects. Based in Boston and practicing worldwide, Annum is a minority-owned firm with a diverse and inclusive studio culture. For more information, visit: www.annumarchitects.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Consigli Construction Co., Inc.:
Consigli Construction Co., Inc. is a leading construction manager in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Consigli services clients across all markets, including academic, healthcare, life sciences, institutional, energy, corporate, and federal. Founded in 1905, Consigli is now a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) company, providing its people with a direct benefit of its success and creating a culture of accountability. The company has offices in Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and the Caribbean. Consigli has received numerous awards for its craftsmanship and employment practices, including national recognition as a Forbes Best Employer. For more information, visit consigli.com and follow us on LinkedIn.