David Sailor, Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley, 1993
Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering

Portland is recognized throughout the nation for its green building technologies and architecture. So it was a natural destination for David Sailor, an expert in urban climates and how they’re affected by buildings, energy consumption, and human activity.

Ecoroofs, or green roofs – roofs that have a layer of soil and vegetation to reduce energy consumption and storm water runoff – are a big part of Sailor’s research. Until recently, there were no good tools to help architects design effective ecoroofs. Sailor implemented a model that precisely calculates the energy-saving outcomes of different designs. The model is now used in the U.S. Department of Energy’s building energy design and analysis software.

“There is a big demand for green roofs, especially in a place like Portland. Before, people evaluated green roofs qualitatively – that is, the general benefits in terms of aesthetics, habitat, reducing runoff, and of course energy. Now we’re able to quantify their benefits,” he says.

Green roofs – seen by many as the next big thing in environmentally sound architecture – have many benefits that make them attractive from an economic and environmental standpoint. Their widespread use has the potential of cutting the “urban heat island” effect in typical cities.