DIADEM^® customizes to suit DRS railing system at Drexel University

Roofmeadow, a Philadelphia-based design firm, installed the green roof and chose DIADEM^®’s DRS-Standard self ballasted, public space handrail system as a perfect match for the project.

Drexel University’s new Gerri C. Lebow hall was designed to impress. The building, which houses the university’s business school is a twelve-story tower was meant to be a showpiece on Philadelphia’s west side.

The futuristic interior features a five-story atrium, high-tech classrooms and 300-seat auditorium. Additionally, the building has several event spaces including a patio connected to a small portion of the 13,800 square foot sedum matt green roof system.

“DIADEM^® gets the architectural aesthetic. They have been involved for such a long time in Europe, they are plugged into what green roof designers are in to,” said Roof Meadow’s owner Charlie Miller. “And they are willing to make modifications to accommodate special features. They never say no to customization.”

On the Lebow project the modifications included fabricating a bracket to accommodate a granite armature that serves as a place to lay drinks and food during the many anticipated cocktail parties and networking meet-and-greets.

“This customization was not significantly more expensive than other pre-fabricated options that are on the market. Existing pre-fab components made by other companies tend to have a very utilitarian look, which was not what we wanted,” Miller said.

Besides looking great and the ability to customize to suit any project, the DRS Standard is ballasted by the roof medium, which secures the rail soundly without requiring attachments to the roof deck or penetrations of the waterproofing.