Tulsa Condo Is Really Green

With all the talk about climate change and the pain of oil prices, people are more environmentally conscious than ever.  The News On 6's Steve Berg reports there's one place in Tulsa where you can really live the green lifestyle.

Tulsa is home to a very special condominium that has real grass on the roof.

From the top, with its grass roof to the bottom with its bamboo floors, there are a lot of environmentally friendly features.

The condo is the greenest building in Oklahoma.  But, you wouldn't know it by looking, which was actually one of the goals of architect Shelby Navarro.

"Doesn't have to look funny and doesn't have to cost a lot all the time, and it's just little things that people can incorporate.  They don't have to do everything, but every little bit helps," said Shelby Navarro.

The bamboo floor for instance.  It looks and feels like regular hardwood, but bamboo grows faster, much faster.

"Bamboo is really a grass, so it'll grow, some species will grow up to 3 feet a day, and so it's really quickly renewable," said Shelby Navarro.

The tile in the shower is made from recycled glass.  The carpet squares are from recycled carpet and if one gets stained, one square can be replaced instead of the entire carpet.

The wood on the stairs is recycled from a century-old barn.  The wood on the bathroom countertop is from debris from the December ice storm.

If that's hard to believe, check out the tiny typeface in the kitchen countertops.  They're made from recycled paper but are hard as concrete.

"But it is recycled paper, a little bit of concrete, and fly ash, which is a waste product of the coal and steel industry," said Shelby Navarro.  "Performs just like concrete if not a little better."

When all is said and done, the only thing that looks really different is that rooftop, and by the way, why is that grass?

"On a typical summer day, a regular flat-type or low-pitch roof that's a tar-type roof will be anywhere from 60 to 80 degrees hotter than ours will be, so it keeps it cooler, keeps it more stable and makes it last about three times as long.  And it's really cool to have grass up there to walk around on," said Shelby Navarro.

Navarro's condominium is the only building in Oklahoma to receive the LEED Platinum level of certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit group that ranks buildings on their environmental responsibility.

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