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2005 winner

Prairie Technologies, Rockford, Minn., won NRCA's 2005 Excellence in Design Award competition for the ERSystems and Prairie Technologies Corporate Headquarters, Rockford.

The company's 500,000-square-foot (4645-m²) manufacturing and office facility in Rockford, Minn., features a roof system that is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program. The roof system was designed as an integrated building asset and exhibits the following roof system technology:

• About 25 percent of the rainwater from the roof is captured and reused for irrigation.
  
  
• More than 50 percent of the roof system is a white PVC membrane. In the center of the PVC section is a 5,000-square-foot (464-m²) prairie garden.
  
  
• The remainder of the roof system is an EPDM membrane coated with a reflective white acrylic coating.
  
  
• Between the two roof systems is a 5kW solar array. The solar panels are fixed to racking that is held in place with ballast. The power produced by the panels travels down an exterior wall.
  
  
• A weather station and Web camera are located at the roof system's south end.