145 Biltmore Ave

Project
145 Biltmore Ave

Location
Asheville, NC

Award Winner
Living Roofs Inc

Project Team

Architect: MHA Works
Building General Contractor: Beverly-Grant, Inc
Roofing Contractor: Baker Roofing
Stormwater Analysis: Robinson Design Engineers
Green Roof Design, Construction, Maintenance: Living Roofs Inc

“Located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, the green roof at 145 Biltmore Avenue is more than a beautiful, elevated meadow in an urban setting– it is a powerful piece of infrastructure that addresses the local and regional challenges of climate change, including diminished water quality and flooding, urban heat, and biodiversity loss.”

— Kathryn Ancaya, Living Roofs Inc

Stormwater Infrastructure as a Wildflower Meadow

The extensive green roof atop the downtown, multi-unit residential building at 145 Biltmore Avenue is more than a decorative element; it's infrastructure. This project sets a new standard of resilience for the future by reimagining stormwater infrastructure with the beauty of a wildflower meadow. The high-density residential project is a downtown infill building on a mostly impervious site previously devoid of vegetation. Although the project maximized the lot's buildable area, the site now has less stormwater runoff than pre-development. The custom dual media green roof system was designed to address the local and regional challenges of climate change, including diminished water quality, urban heat, and loss of biodiversity.

This project sits within a large and significant watershed of the French Broad River that is severely impacted by increased development, piped streams, and aging infrastructure. The green roof serves as a stormwater control measure to meet the city's requirements in its effort to reduce pollutants and flooding affecting the watershed. The green roof also allowed the developer to avoid a costly underground stormwater containment system and use this valuable space for underground parking.

The project site is also located in an area of downtown identified as having the highest heat vulnerability, and this green roof helps to cool air temperatures and reduce the building's contribution to urban heat island effect.

The project plans initially called for a green roof tray system to meet the city's stormwater requirement, but from experience and analysis of previous projects, the green roof company's design studio knew they could create a custom buildup that would be more effective at managing stormwater and deliver cost savings for the project. The custom green roof created more design flexibility to work around rooftop utilities already in place, and also reduced costs associated with planting. The flexibility and lower price tag helped increase the green roof's square footage, saving money in the long term while expanding the green roof's environmental benefits. The system was designed to support a biodiverse meadow and provides a tremendous stormwater benefit that helps reduce the negative impacts of development on existing public infrastructure and surrounding waterways.

This project was designed to maximize stormwater retention and ease the new building's impact on existing stormwater infrastructure and impaired local waterways. The types of growing media used on this green roof were selected for the quality of their hydrologic performance, and their depths were maximized. The resulting dual-media system performs very well as a stormwater control system. During rain events, the dual-media green roof system retains approximately 4,200 gallons of stormwater, thereby reducing the 2-year design storm runoff volume by an estimated 76%, and reducing the 10-year design storm runoff volume by an estimated 53%. The green roof also temporarily stores stormwater and delays the timing of its release, thereby reducing the 2-year design storm peak runoff rate by an estimated 84%, and the 10-year design storm runoff volume by an estimated 53%.

Through evapotranspiration, the vegetated roof system also prevents approximately 100,000 gallons of water from entering storm drains annually. To promote efficient use of irrigation, a rain sensor system bypasses the irrigation cycle when there is sufficient rainfall.

The landscapes in the surrounding southern Appalachian region are lush with plant life! The region's spectacular ecological and plant communities are an inspiration for discovering plant species that may thrive in the variable microclimates and conditions they will be subject to on a rooftop.

This vegetated roof is a highly diverse pocket of nature in the downtown urban environment. Prior to development, the site was mostly impervious. In addition to improving water quality by reducing stormwater runoff, the green roof supports a resilient assemblage of native and ornamental perennials and grasses that provide critical habitat and connectivity for permanent and migrating pollinators and birds.

The green roof company's maintenance team continues to care for this roof and skillfully manages the plant palette to ensure that it is healthy and operating at a high level through all seasons. This project is frequently used as an example of how a green roof can meet state stormwater requirements, and its ongoing high performance serves as a testimonial for green roofs as nature-based infrastructure.

When managing the plant material on this roof, green roof maintenance technicians closely consider the habitat value for permanent and migratory pollinators and bird species. This means leaving seedheads and winter foliage for food and shelter.

The Judges felt this project was an excellent example of how a custom solution by a thoughtful studio can replace and outperform a more generic commodity style green roof.

Kiawah Island Residence

Project
Kiawah Island Residence

Location
Kiawah Island, SC

Award Winner
Living Roofs Inc

Project Team

Architect: Thomas Denzinger Architects
General Contractor: Koenig Construction, Inc
Green Roof Construction & Maintenance: Living Roofs Inc
Landscape Architect: Wertimer + Cline

“These second-story green roofs utilize grasses and natural textures to minimize delineation between the residence’s roof structure and its surrounding environment, creating a harmonized view of the coastal marshland. The green roofs provide outdoor living space for gathering or quiet reflection with a restorative connection to nature. Winding pathways of natural bluestone pavers are flanked by fluffy grasses that visually and tangibly engage with the landscape and create a feeling that one is simply sitting in the middle of the marsh.”

— Kathryn Ancaya, Living Roofs Inc

Saltwater Marsh Inspired Generational Retreat

This coastal residence, located on the outskirts of a saltwater marsh in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, serves as a luxe generational retreat. Together the project's talented team of architects and landscape architects designed an inspired project in a beautiful and ecologically sensitive setting. The home's thoughtful use of natural materials and generous glazing throughout creates continuity and a connection with the surrounding environment. This use of natural materials extends to the living roof areas, which provide a unique vantage point from which to observe and experience the marsh.

The landscape architect for this project designed the amenity space --which includes a deck, winding pathways, and green roof layout-- with the intent to mimic the home's stunning natural setting. The green roof installer provided assistance with plant selection, green roof system technical consultation, and performed installation and green roof maintenance throughout the plant establishment period. These two teams worked closely during construction to achieve the project vision.

The home's guest house and main house support living roofs that cool the buildings, support habitat, and increase biodiversity as well as significantly reduce storm water runoff and protect the vital coastal buffer zone just feet away. These green roofs create an accessible rooftop garden composed of natural materials and plant species selected for both their visual and biological compatibility with the environment-- an ideal space for taking in the views of the surrounding salt marsh. The diversity of plant material not only creates a lush and beautiful outdoor area, it also creates a migratory refuge and habitat for a wide array of species. The plants and underlying green roof system reduce stormwater runoff volume and peak flow from entering the surrounding salt marsh.

Tidal salt marshes are coastal wetlands between land and open saltwater that flood and drain with the tides, creating dynamic and unique environments. The Kiawah River ecosystem is home to an enormous amount of biodiversity including bivalves, crustaceans, fish, and over 140 species of birds.

In response to this very special ecological context, plant species for this project were chosen with intent to blend in visually with the surrounding environment while thriving in the substantially different microclimate the roof offers compared to that of the native salt marsh grasses. The inhabitants of the marsh don't seem to mind the diversity, as they thrive in the grassy landscape which provides shelter, nesting materials, and food. A large piece of cedar driftwood brought up to the green roof for aesthetics creates additional habitat for a range of creatures. The resulting established green roof serves as a curated extension to the salt marsh ecosystem.

The two green roof areas on the second level of the residence provide outdoor living space for social gathering or quiet reflection with a restorative connection to nature. Winding pathways flanked by fluffy grasses lead to an elevated covered sitting porch situated between the green roofs. As one meanders through the vegetation on natural bluestone pavers, they visually and tangibly engage with the landscape. The elevated perspective provides long-range views of the marsh while adjacent green roof vegetation adds to the feeling that one is sitting in the middle of the marsh. These direct connections to nature both visually and sensorially reduce heart rate, allowing one to relax and be present in the space. This has both physical and mental health benefits for indivduals interacting with the green roof.

The materials used are all natural materials that blend into the landscape and coexist harmoniously with the at-grade environment. Materials were sourced locally to the extent possible. Salvaged dead trees were gathered and saved from the site's marsh edge and are placed within the vegetation to visually connect the green roof to the surrounding salt marsh landscape.

During construction, materials had to be develivered to the site in small batches since acesss to the site was through a sensitive environment and there was a small building envelope and limited access around the building. Close attention was taken during construction to limit disturbance to the surroundings.

The green roof installation company is minority-owned, Living Wage certified, and places organizational emphasis on the wellbeing and continued professional development of its employees.

Due to the close proximity of the salt marsh, with an awareness of the cascading effects of runoff in environmentally sensitive areas, green roof maintenance practices for this project included avoiding pesticide and fertilizer use. Maintenance for the critical plant establishment period focused on plant health and included replanting and moving species to adapt to microclimates rather than use of chemicals. Once the green roof was established and poised for success, its maintenance was handed over to the homeowner to care for and enjoy.

The Judges felt this project was a beautiful showcase of how a green roof can blend into the local landscape and engage the surround ecology and context

Carle Foundation Hospital - Will's Garden

Project
Carle Foundation Hospital - Will's Garden

Location
Urbana, Il

Award Winner
Omni Ecosystems

Project Team

Architect: Shepley Bulfinch
General Contractor: J.H. Findorff & Son Inc
Green Roof Supplier & Installer: Omni Ecosystems
Landscape Architect: Omni Ecosystems
Owner: Carle Foundation Hospital

“This project was jumpstarted with emotion and clarity of meaning and it was riddled with challenges regarding logistics and implementation. Yet, it brings us joy as a team of designers and installers to push the boundaries and bring the most benefits and make sure all client needs were met”

— Michael Skowlund, Omni Workshop

“All of our green roof projects are important to us, but an immersive, people-centered and wheelchair accessible rooftop with significant technical requirements and in only 6 inches of media is really special”

— Jesse Rosenbluth, Omni Rewild

A Place for Healing

Will's Garden, named after a former nature loving patient, is a new therapeutic garden at the Carle Foundation Hospital, a world-class, regional healthcare provider in Urbana, Illinois. Located on the facility's sixth floor, the garden provides a transformative, tranquil oasis for patients, family, and healthcare workers to escape the intensity of the hospital in a relaxing, nature-filled environment.

The garden is an accessible, year-round space offering fresh air, views, respite, healing, and restoration. It consists of brightly colored trees, shrubs, perennials, and potted plants intertwined with an immersive looping path that enables wheelchair and hospital bed access. Private seating nooks line the path allowing numerous parties of varying sizes to enjoy the space in solitude.

Design criteria included consideration of the existing hospital building’s extremely low structural load capacity and the site’s location above a neonatal intensive care unit. Wind uplift criteria also had to be met, so conforming to stringent loading parameters required careful tuning. Project goals were achieved using an ultra-lightweight horticultural growing media as the rooting substrate supporting plant growth. The result is a lush ecosystem growing in six inches of growing media.

Unlike typical growing media, the unique horticultural growing media contains the biological components essential for sustaining life. Through colonization, biochemistry, and strategic ecosystem development, the media supports microbial communities and plant life within a naturally occurring, contaminant-free geological substrate. Concurrently, this substrate promotes exceptional stormwater management.

The landscape architect led design team comprised specialists in microbiology, ecology, and horticulture.

This project relies on the special horticultural growing media to exist. The unique growing media has a high porosity, which makes it lightweight - essential to creating this project on an existing structure with limited surplus capacity. The high porosity also yields significant stormwater management service. This means better stormwater management and better retention for plant use. A project-specific, efficient irrigation system was designed and installed to support long-term plant health while balancing water conservation and efficiency.

The design addresses the emotional challenges faced by patients, families, care-givers, and healthcare workers by providing private, peaceful spaces in nature, allowing opportunity for healing, compassion, and grief. The intentionally crafted therapeutic garden offers respite from the facility’s clinical aspects with a highly accessible, natural setting.

Routine application of pesticides is not required by the maintenance plan. Pesticides are unlikely to be used on this project when the maintenance plan is correctly followed. Annual growing media testing for fertility is included in the maintenance plan. A once-annual application of slow-release fertilizer may be recommended in future years, depending on growing media test results. But the maintenance plan does not mandate fertilization, only calls for its consideration depending on what the ecosystem needs on a periodic basis.  An efficient irrigation system provides additional water as needed and is activated each spring and winterized each fall. The team's horticultural experts collaborated with facility maintenance staff to develop a meticulously crafted maintenance strategy, ensuring long-term success.

The Judges felt this project was aesthetically captivating and an engaging adaptive reuse retrofit application, as well as representing a great example of innovation in growing media.

Guildwood GO Station

Project
Guildwood GO Station

Location
Toronto, ON

Award Winner
Elias+ Landscape Architecture + Interiors + Design

Project Team

Architect: RDH Architects
Civil Engineer: WSP Canada Inc
Electrical Engineer: Moon-Matz Ltd
Engineering Services/Project Management: WSP Canada Inc
General Contractor: Kenaidan Contracting Ltd
Landscape Architect: Elias+ Landscape Architecture
Landscape Contractor: SNIPS Landscape & Nursery
Owner: Metrolinx
Vegetated Roof Manufacturer: Hydrotech Membrane Corp

Additional Participants

Architectural Metalcraft Industries Ltd.
BASF Canada Inc.
CDS Construction Distribution &; Supply Co. Inc
Euclid Chemical
Gilbert Steel Limited
Ironworkers Local 721

OSC Seeds Company
Ontario Redimix
PRE-CON Limited
Specs-R-Us
W.R. Meadows Inc.

“Sensitivity of design elevates what might have been a utilitarian suburban public transit station. Successful design elements such as a broad sheltering canopy, rich materiality, and precisely detailed monumental stairs contribute to an emboldened transit experience and memorable public realm. Pollinator gardens are visible from the clearstory level in the station and enrich the experience of the station landing… The potential represented here to create pleasant experiences along an everyday commute enhances potential ridership and points to a future that includes a rich experience of public transit throughout Toronto.”

— Toronto Urban Design Awards Jury 2021

Ecological Succession in Public Infrastructure

Guildwood GO Station, located in Toronto, Canada, intertwines with the city’s ravine system. It is an innovative project, the first station to integrate green roofs with architecture and ravine ecosystems. Our team used an urban ecology approach as an intervention on the embankment slopes, green roofs, and roof courtyard.

Straying from Metrolinx’s traditional designs involving precast, the redeveloped station features a multi-purpose utility building incorporating a long cast-in-place design, and a green roof that blends in with the landscape. The utility buildings and tunnel entrances, which are traditionally utilitarian structures are hidden by the green roofs and embankment slopes.

Ecological succession, a design intervention, has the potential to influence related design disciplines and engage the public. At Guildwood GO Station, with its unique mix of inviting architecture, ecological succession and traditional landscape aesthetics, commuters can once again engage with nature. All plant species were chosen to create a meadow, continue the surrounding ravine vegetation, initiate natural succession. Ecological succession is a biotic self-generating ecosystem that evolves from meadow to deciduous climax forest over a hundred-year period.

The green roofs and embankment slopes serve as a bridge for non-human community movement and species biodiversity within an industrial corridor. The meadows screen the view of the industrial tracks from the bordering subdivision. Today, thousands of the bees and butterflies can be found within the goldenrod and dense flowering meadow.

The roofs and slopes were hydroseeded with grasses to initiate stage one of ecological succession. Local plants and seeds are continually supplied from the ravine by animals, trains, and wind travelling through the green corridor. After five years, the team found that the meadow had been penetrated by thousands of plant species from the ravine, including shrubs and small trees such as Goldenrod, Sumac. and Ailanthus. The dominant meadow species changed yearly, depending on soil conditions, plant resilience, and climate.

Embracing architecture and ecological succession enabled us to envision the landscape as a bridge for human and non-human community movement and a green oasis amid an industrial corridor.

Track embankments create a linear topography echoed in the architecture. The geometry and materiality are repeated in the landscape through linear hedges, grasses, 18-meter-long stainless steel and Ipe wood seating planters. Granite strips embedded in the concrete plaza continue the lighting/flooring pattern of the interior and canopy. The green roofs and roof courtyard integrate vertically with the architecture.

Inside views to the green roofs and roof courtyard at every point of commuter movement further establish an architectural connection with the landscape. Upon exiting the tunnels, commuters are greeted with panoramic views of borrowed landscapes merging into the roof meadows and slopes on both north and south platforms. The landscape atmospherically changes each season, from spring’s vibrant green to the warm colours of summer and fall to the whites of winter.

The Garden Roof® assembly retains 50% to 90% of a typical rain fall on the surface. The irrigation controller has Cycle+Soak water management software installed. This software can operating each station for a maximum cycle time and a minimum soak time to reduce water run-off. Furthermore, the controller incorporates a FloManager which provides real-time flow, power, and station management. FloManager manages the number of stations operating at any point in time based on the water source capacity, station flow rate, and number of valves per station. Additionally, the controller's ETC-LX ET Manager Cartridge receives weather servce singals and adjusts day cycles and station run times to apply the minimum amount of water based on the current plant water requitrements.

Maintenance of the infrastructure involves a number of considerations

• Mowing the site at a height of 8 inches once a year to prevent tree growth. Early November, before the arrival of snow is ideal for this task in Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

• Collecting the larger residues to activate sprouting in the following spring

• Consider implementing an overseeding plan if the vegetated surface displays reduced vigour or experiences a decline in biodiversity

• Following the other tasks for example weeding, fertilizing, irrigating etc.

The Judges felt this project was a stunning integration of ecology, nature, and systems thinking into a large and highly trafficked public infrastructure project, reinvigorating an otherwise utilitarian space.

Center for Sustainable Landscapes

Project
Center for Sustainable Landscapes

Location
Pittsburgh, PA

Award Winner
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Project Team

Architect: The Design Alliance
Civil Engineering and Water Engineering: Civil & Environmental Consultants
Green Roof Construction: Burns and Scalo
Integrated Design Facilitation, Energy Modeling, Daylighting Analysis and Materials: 7group, LLC
MEP Engineering: CJL Engineering
Planting Plan, Planting, Maintenance: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Structural Engineering: Atlantic Engineering Services

“When guests explore the Center for Sustainable Landscapes green roof, it helps make clear this notion that we strive to demonstrate at Phipps — that humans are part of the natural world, not separate from it. They can experience first-hand that green buildings aren’t about being “less bad,” rather they are beautiful, engaging spaces that can enhance ecosystem services, which improves both human and environmental health and well-being.”

— Richard V. Piacentini, President and CEO, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden

Demonstrating Sustainability to Catalyze Real Change

Part of the Phipps Conservatory’s mission is to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research. In support of this mission, the objective was to help transform the way people relate the built and natural environments. The project was designed to be an education and demonstration site to explicate the efficacy of sustainability, and the beauty of living in harmony with the natural world. It is the first and only building project to meet five of the highest green certifications.

The project site is home to more than 100 species of native plants, including 50 on the green roof alone, creating habitat, enhancing biodiversity, and assisting in the stormwater management goals, reducing annualized runoff by 85%.

Community and project partners were welcomed early to the project to contribute energy, systems, computational fluid dynamics modeling, restoration ecology, green building, innovative technology, life cycle assessment and other consulting services. Partnerships were sought with the goal of pursuing environmental research, education and outreach through the involvement of scientists, research fellows and department members so that collaborative research opportunities could create a ”critical mass” and enhance the ability to obtain grants for research of greater scope and importance. Many organizations, associations, government officials, university faculty members and students were invited to participate in early charrettes while a select groups of interested stakeholders were further invited to continue through the design, construction and operational monitoring process as main project partners.

Judges praised this project for its high level of living systems integration for multiple benefits and commitment to engaging multiple stakeholders.

Bike Box Living Roof Lab

Project
Bike Box Living Roof Lab

Location
Cleveland, OH

Award Winner
Kent State University

Project Team

Communication Lead: Kent State Student Volunteer – Leno Esposito
Construction Lead: Kent State Student Volunteer – Josh Thomas
Design Lead: Kent State Student Volunteer – Neil Reindell
Drainage Membrane Supplier: The Garland Company
Planner: Land Studio
Project Manager: Kent State Student Volunteer – Clair Markwardt
Sponsor: Northeast Ohio Sewer District
Volunteer Lead: Kent State Student Volunteer –Megan Haftl

“The Bike Box Living Roof Lab reclaims a sliver of the concrete jungle for one of the best neighborhood bars in Cleveland while working hard to discover how living architecture can aid global conservation efforts.”

— Reid Coffman, Kent State University

The Little Green Roof That Could

The Bike Box Living Roof Lab reclaims a sliver of the concrete jungle for one of the best neighborhood bars in Cleveland while working hard to discover how living architecture can aid global conservation efforts.

Funded by the local sewer district to profile urban green infrastructure, the 149 sf green roof caps a shipping container transformed into a bike shelter for one of Cleveland’s most popular neighborhood corner bars. The Happy Dog is place of community sharing and learning, a tradition the green roof extends.

Situated in the public right-of-way along a new bike lane, the roof softens a very hard urban streetscape. Scruffy native prairie plants provide a resilient display throughout the year while signage tells the story of stormwater runoff to passersby.

The roof operates as a long-term research site for Kent State University, exploring the potential of green roofs to reintroduce endangered or threatened plants. The cultivation of these plants from non-threatened populations in neighboring ecoregions provides a method of sourcing uncommon plants and the success of these species indicates innovation for reintroduction practices in future living architecture collaborations. The roof is the subject of doctoral and master’s study, visited each year by hundreds of professionals and students, and has been a part of national education programs. This small roof has a big impact and is responsible for subsequent collaborative projects involving multiple stakeholders, funding, and market development.

Judges praised the project for its educational outcomes, and relatively large impact for a project of such a small scale.

McDonald’s Headquarters

Project
McDonald’s Headquarters

Location
Chicago, IL

Award Winner
Omni Ecosystems

Project Team

Architect: Gensler
Developer/Owner: Sterling Bay
General Contractor: McHugh
Green Roof and Wall Designer, Manufacturer, Installer, and Maintenance Provider: Omni Ecosystems
Labor Subcontractor: Bennett & Brosseau
Landscape Architect: Wolff/Confluence
Landscaping Support: Christy Webber
Plumbing Subcontractor: CW Burns

“The environmental performance at McDonald’s headquarters’ Omni Green Roof is superlative with outstanding stormwater management and vast biodiversity. It’s a testament to how green roofs make the world a better place.”

— Molly Meyer, Omni Ecosystems

Taking A Restaurant Titan Into It’s Next Sustainable Phase

Moving McDonald’s Corporate Headquarters from Oak Brook to downtown Chicago was a huge shift, with the aim of creating a more collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking environment to take the restaurant titan into its next phase. Sustainability was at the forefront of the project from the very start and remained the highest priority throughout, with the green roof central to the sustainability objectives.

The entire project team visited numerous green roofs to understand the differing systems and regularly consulted with the green roof team to dial in the project’s opportunities and goals. The team pushed the boundaries by increasing media depths and shifting compositions in order to maximize the stormwater management potential. In addition to the advanced green roofs on the upper floors of the building, there are additional green roofs and terraces on the 6th and 8th floors, a large lush interior living wall, and many interior plantings throughout the facility.

The project team selected native plantings and seed mixes to provide habitat and biodiversity attracting pollinators long thought to be missing from the region, and purify the air in the West Loop. They also engaged with a local farming company to harvest the production areas, which continue to provide food, flowers, and other products to staff and the community. This project is a living demonstration of the co-benefits that make green infrastructure truly game changing.

Judges praised this project for its robust design as well as its unique and comprehensive integrations.

Ohana Floor

Project
Ohana Floor

Location
San Francisco, CA

Award Winner
Habitat Horticulture

Project Team

Interior Architects: Mark Cavagnero Associates
Lighting Design: Auerbach Glasow
Living Wall Design, Installation Maintenance: Habitat Horticulture

A Planted Oasis Above San Francisco

At 1,070 feet, Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in San Francisco and perched at the top of the company’s global headquarters is the “Ohana Floor”, an open, flexible hospitality space with 360 degree views of the city.

Instead of dedicating this sought-after space for executive offices, Salesforce took a unique approach and designed the Ohana Floor for the company’s employees, customers, partners, and members of the community to enjoy. 

During the day, the floor is open for employees and their guests. Then on weeknights and weekends, it is available to nonprofits and foundations to host their own events at no cost. To date, events on the company’s Ohana Floors in San Francisco, New York, London, and Indianapolis have raised over $15M for charity.

With a focus on clear sightlines, open flow to allow access to the best sunlight and views, and inspiration from nature, 24 structural columns which surround the circular floor were transformed into colorful and vivid plantscapes.  Each column is 13 feet high which required approximately 25,000 plants to cover 3,500 square feet of cylindrical space.

128 plant species were selected to provide colors and textures that would result in a dynamic viewing experience around each of the columns.  No two columns are alike: with varying sun exposure, visitors experience changeable hues when observing them from different vantage points. The end result is a tranquil and verdant naturescape set against a sweeping city backdrop and views of the Bay and Pacific Ocean. 

Paying homage to the Hawaiian-inspired intention, 48 different varieties of orchids were sourced for rich and delightful pops of color. As a blended space for a wide range of usage, the columns are also a source of psychological and literal nourishment: edible herbs such as mint, basil, tarragon and dill were also included for potential use onsite.

Judges praised this project for aesthetics, thoughtful use of green wall technology, and broader community benefits.

District House

Project
District House

Location
Oak Park, IL

Award Winner
Omni Ecosystems

Project Team

Architect: Northworks
Developer: Ranquist Development Group
Developer: Campbell Coyle Real Estate
General Contractor: MC Construction
Green Roof Installer: Omni Ecosystems
Landscape Architect: Dickson Design Studio

“The financial data learned from the District House Omni Green Roof is pushing the industry forward. We now know in plain dollars and cents the specific value-add that the marketplace puts on a green roof. And it’s huge! Quality green roofs increase market value and property value. Period.”

— Molly Meyer, Omni Ecosystems

Making the Financial Case for Green Roofs

District House is a 28-unit luxury condo building located in downtown Oak Park, Illinois, that prioritizes modern, sustainable urban living. The project features several state-of-the-art and ecologically-minded amenities including five private green roof terraces for premium second-floor units.

Installed in 2018, this project includes an integration of native meadow on the upper roof and seeded lawn on the terraces. Overall, the average depth is 6” with a total area of 9,009 square feet. The lush lawn spaces perfectly complement District House's luxury interiors and provides accessible private green space for residents.

The green roof cools the surrounding area, providing a cooler upper rooftop experience for those enjoying the deck surrounded by a native meadow, and cooler terraces where lush private lawns surround condo terraces.

The rooftop features a native meadow mix, designed to create a life support system for a midwestern prairie rich in biodiversity. The green roof incorporates a variety of native plants that provide habitat for local pollinators. With a high level of plant variety and seed mixes designed for healthy ecological succession, the roof is primed to provide opportunities for pollination and food, nesting, nutrients and more for local fauna.

A brief case study was performed to compare sales of units with private green roofs which found that the green roof increased the sales price by an average of almost $70,000, despite the $20,000 cost.

Judges praised the project for its use of a self-regenerative nutritive media, and the illustration of the profitability of green infrastructure integrations.

Garden House

Project
Garden House

Location
Beverly Hills, CA

Award Winner
Seasons Landscaping

Project Team

Architect: MAD Architects
Architect: Gruen Architects
General Contractor: DHC Builders
Living Wall Designer & Builder: Seasons Landscaping

Biophilic Views From a Over Mile Away

The GardenHouse is the first completed project in the US by world-renowned architect Ma Yansong. This modern architectural masterpiece is located in Beverly Hills California within the city center. GardenHouse pays homage to the rich history of Beverly Hills and the iconic mansions of the past. The design of GardenHouse has taken much inspiration from these stately figures, peeking out from behind the manicured green hedges luxurious living. The modern interpretation are these clean line white houses atop floating green rolling hills, which is now the quilted mosaic of a vertical garden. This modern mixed use architectural building covered by the largest living wall in the United States at 6,700 square feet, with 28 species and over 40,000 plants.

The AquaFelt system is comprised of 2 layers of felt, which takes the place of soil over time. The plants roots grow throughout the entire expanse of the wall creating its own vertical ecosystem, which mimics cliffs in nature. This is a form of biophilia that is the key to success of this green wall system. The planted green façade consumes the entire length of the building, encasing windows, balconies and curving at the intersection of 2 major cross streets. The system is hydroponic and recirculates from a large holding tank at the bottom basement floor, pumping water up to the top of the wall and wicked down throughout the felt layers.

Judges praised the project for its scope, scale, and broader benefits to the community in which is was constructed.

Sandyland Cove

Project
Sandyland Cove

Location
Lake Toxaway, NC

Award Winner
Living Roofs Inc

Project Team

Architect: Platt Management Group
General Contractor: Platt Management Group
Green Roof Designer & Installer: Living Roofs Inc

“The project site rests on a mountain lake in western North Carolina, a region known for its biologically diverse habitats and species. The green roofs on the buildings integrate the structures into the landscape and are planted with species native to the region and support a wide variety of insects and birds. The plants are arranged in a way that mimics native plant communities with different layers and rooting characteristics.”

— Kate Ancaya, Landscape Architect

Fostering Resilient Communities At Any Scale

The design goals for this project were to integrate the buildings into the site and maximize the ecological impact of the green roofs. All of the roofs on the property include a green roof: the main house, guest house, and boathouse. While the main and guest houses each have roofs designed to sustain native plant communities. This was achieved through a rigorous design process that includes a combination of warm and cool-season grasses, perennials, and groundcovers. Aside from being a beautiful amenity, the roofs reduce stormwater, cool the structures, and provide important wildlife and pollinator value.

The green roofs are designed to optimize stormwater retention through the type and components of the green roof build-up, to the plant material, planting approach, and irrigation system. A highly diverse plant species mix was used and a dense planting approach to maximize evapotranspiration and reduce raindrop impact.

Habitat and biodiversity were primary goals for this project and the driving force behind the design, plant selection, planting design, and post-installation maintenance, combining plants with different growth characteristics and habits to maximize plant coverage, habitat, and food and nectar sources. Additionally, the diverse plant palette with large-leafed herbaceous plants also helps to capture particulates in the air.

The green roofs were designed to demonstrate how a natural plant community that supports a diverse range of pollinators can be a beautiful visual amenity.

Judges praised the project for comprehensive utilization of available space for green roofing, and the extensive and thoughtful use of native plantings.

Roof For A View

Project
Room For A View

Location
Boulder, CO

Award Winner
Green Roofs of Colorado / K. Dakin Design

Project Team

Contractor/Installer: Green Roofs of Colorado
Landscape Architect: K. Dakin Design

“It just made sense, this green roof. The clients did not want to stare out their bedroom and bathroom windows onto a bare, roof membrane. Especially when they are nature lovers and avid gardeners: this green roof just made sense. To make their dreams come true, the clients collaborated closely with professional, green roof experts, Landscape Architect Karla Dakin and Green Roof Installer Andy Creath of Green Roofs of Colorado. The bio-diverse, selection of host species for the roof, gleaned from Dakin’s years of studying the flora in nearby foothills and prairies, was repeated on the ground landscape, integrating a top to bottom, holistic, design approach.”

— Karla Dakin, Principal; K. Dakin Design

The Green Roof That Just Made Sense

This green roof just made sense. The clients did not want to stare out their bedroom and bathroom windows onto a bare, roof membrane. Especially when they are nature lovers and avid gardeners. To make their dreams come true, the clients collaborated closely with local professional green roof experts to install a lush green roof atop their detached garage. As a residential project, the design process was a collaboration between the landscape architect, the clients and the green roof installer. The clients were very involved in the process, attending to every detail and selection.

The bio-diverse, selection of host species for the roof, gleaned from years of studying the flora in nearby foothills and prairies, was repeated on the ground landscape, integrating a top to bottom, holistic, design approach.

The green roof is primarily seen out the bedroom and bathroom windows of the residents. Throughout the seasons, this prairie landscape is the first and last view of the day. There is access to maintain and hang out in the green roof across a small roof straddling the detached garage and the home.

Native plants, host plants, and biodiversity were the conceptual drivers behind the landscape design of the yard, from the ground to the roof. The biodiversity of the plant list calls in as many birds, bees, butterflies, and insects as possible as well as referencing the native prairie plants of the Front Range of Colorado. Many of the same species like Agastache, Aster, and Echinacea are repeated on the ground level gardens. This green roof is completely organic and is maintained by the owner, an avid gardener. Deadheading flowers is kept to a minimum. Plants are allowed to repeat and spread across the green roof. Some plants, like cosmos have even made it up from the ground level gardens.

Judges appreciated this project’s look and approach, as well as engagement and investment of the client, and their commitment to sustainability.

Health Education Building

Project
Health Education Building

Location
Kansas City, MO

Award Winner
Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company

Project Team

Architect of Record: Helix Architects
Design Architect: CO Architects
General Contractor: McCown Gordon
Green Roof Consultant: Jeffrey L. Bruce & Co
Landscape Architect: Land3 Studio
Landscape Contractor: Hermes Landscape
Soil Blender & Supplier: Missouri Organic
Testing Laboratory: Turf & Soil Diagnostic

“The rolling prairies of Kansas are featured on this undulating medical school green roof.”

— Jeffrey L. Bruce

State-Of-The-Art Learning Space To Support New Models Of Teaching

KU Medical Center is a new, iconic facility 170,000 square foot facility to accommodate modern learning and facilitate the education of a greater number of physicians, nurses and allied health care professionals. The new building will serve as the primary teaching facility for the KU Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions that includes a simulation center and flexible, state-of-the-art learning space to support new models of teaching. Design elements inspired by key facets of the building's purpose: connectivity, identity, a healthy and sustainable environment, and transparency. The site featured natural elements and the heritage of Kansas with a terraced courtyard and outdoor space with features representing the rolling prairies of Kansas.

The site and neighborhood was highly urbanized, so the conditions of the surrounding ecological systems were badly degraded. HEB represents a pioneering resilient oasis within a sea of dysfunctional natural processes, designed to be restorative to the community far beyond the boundaries of the project. The improved ecological function which extends to the neighborhood includes a significant improvement to stormwater runoff, reductions in urban heat island, wildlife habitat and food sources, establishment of nutrient cycling and improved air quality.

The green roof is located on top of a series of classrooms that are conditioned space, having direct impact to the mechanical systems of the structure. The green roof also provides indirect contributions to the reduced energy costs of the adjacent campus buildings. The green roof reduces urban heat island temperatures around the existing structures, thereby reducing their cooling requirements. The Landscape Architect calculated the impact of each cycle of the 100,000 gallon of use irrigation represents 140 tons of evaporative cooling mitigating the impact of urban heat island in the city core.

HEB utilizes a limited simple palette of native plants and prairie grasses which is intended to provide the framework for further natural development in biodiversity. The majority of the green roof on site has been returned to natural ecological function with a limited intervention in the future. Much of the plant material was selected from a native prairie species which will provide increased resilience of the native ecological community as niche species establish themselves in this framework. The greatest challenge of this project was balancing the narrow profile with the need for biodiversity. Landscape Architects optimized a solution that supported a food chain biodiversity which restored the critical insect ecology as the second trophic level in the food chain which supports secondary consumers of predators or parasites of herbivores, typically songbirds and bats.

As one of the most technically and architecturally advanced health education centers in the nation, this project demonstrates the creative integration of ecological function and implementation of new green technology while providing a brilliant new urban park for the community.

While the primary use of recycled materials were compost in the growing media and wood mulch the landscape was designed to minimize the use of materials with higher embodied energy. Over 95% of the landscape materials and furnishings were sourced within 20 miles of the site greatly reducing transportation costs.

The regulatory environment and campus facilities were generally apprehensive about the project because was a very different approach to stormwater management. Although supportive of the concept, it had never been proposed or permitted by the city. In order to succeed with the design solution, the design team needed to create a new set of design standards to document and present to the city engineer for approval.

Judges praised this project for its technical aspects and leadership in the field of sustainability best practices.

510 West 22nd Street

Project
510 West 22nd Street

Location
New York City, NY

Award Winner
MKM Landscape Architecture PC

Project Team

Acoustic Consultant: Shen Milsom & Wilke
Architect: Cookfox Architects, LLP
Building Code Consultants: Jam Consultants
D.O.T Consultant: Delargent Design, Architecture, PC
Elevator Consultant: Van Deusen & Associates
Energy Modeling LEED Consultant: Viridian Energy & Environmental
Exterior Maintenance Consultant: Entek Engineering PLLC
Exterior Wall Consultant: Buro Happold Consulting Engineers PC
Landscape Architect: MKM Landscape Architecture PC
Lighting Consultant: Brett Malak Lighting Design
MEP Engineer: WSP Flack+Kurtz
Structural Engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers

“MKM Landscape Architecture designed exterior terraces for a new commercial building on West 22nd Street, adjacent to the High Line. There are several terraces on each of the 14 floors, which provide tenants with green spaces and views. Curved metal planters and wild gardens are interspersed with wooden decking and paved walkways to provide flexible use venue spaces.”

— Mark K. Morrison, RLA, LLA, FASLA, GRP; MKM Landscape Architecture

Wild Gardens in Manhattan

The concept for the project is to create wild gardens in Manhattan that echo and enhance the nearby High Line, and provide habitat for birds and pollinators for a new commercial building on West 22nd Street, adjacent to the High Line.

Numerous terraces with intensive green roofs create outdoor rooms for projected commercial tenants. Curved planters and wild gardens interspersed with wooden decking and paved spaces provide flexible use venue spaces for tenants, both for retreat from the work environment, and on the tenth and eleventh floors, for events. By providing multiple planted terraces on every floor, as well as a several large planted terraces and vegetated upper roof, this project creates a green cool zone in an otherwise densely paved area.

Green roof media is installed throughout every terrace, including under the pavers, ensuring maximum stormwater absorption and retention, as well as encouraging plant roots to spread throughout the terraces, with the added benefit of making the trees and plants more wind-resistant as well.

The plantings have been selected to provide habitat for migrating birds and pollinators. The proximity of the High Line Park enhances the opportunity for habitat, adding to a patchwork of green zones and small parks that are scattered throughout the Chelsea neighborhood just south of 34th Street. The building is on the Atlantic Flyway and therefore the plantings were selected to provide habitat for birds, as well as pollinators. Each floor provides several terraces with outdoor spaces, creating vistas, and trees. The plantings are tall and lush, surrounding the people inhabiting the spaces with the opportunity to experience planted environments just by stepping through the wide access doors and edible grapes planted along the green screens.

The windows are set back under overhangs, both to provide shade for the terrace users, and to minimize bird strikes. All terraces have trees or columns in front of the windows to discourage bird strikes. Limestone / concrete pavers were locally sourced from a company in Brooklyn, NY. All wooden decking in this project is Kebony, which is very stable, and will not require any maintenance on the part of the building owners. It is a sustainable product since it is not a tropical hardwood. The plantings are all native and low-maintenance, with abundant ground covers, so once all is well-established, there should be bi-annual clean-ups, trimming, and fertilizing of trees.

Praised for its commitment to biodiversity, judges were impressed by this attractive and well-designed project in a densely urbanized area.

International Flavors & Fragrances Lobby

Project
International Flavors & Fragrances Lobby

Location
Union Beach, NJ

Award Winner
Urbanstrong/EcoWalls/Parker Plants

Project Team

Architect: Gannett Fleming Architects
Installation, Commissioning, Ongoing Maintenance: Parker Plants
Lobby Design Theme: William McDonough + Partners
Sales, Technology Consulting, Project Management: Urbanstrong
System Providers: EcoWalls

“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate on such an incredible project. It reflects not only the nature of the company’s plant research work but also its commitment to environmental stewardship. And the lush and wild nature of the plant tapestry offers all who pass under the living wall a reprieve from their hurried day.”

— Alan Burchell, P. Eng, MSc, MBA, GRP, LEED AP; Principal, Urbanstrong

A Direct Reflection of Use

The client, International Flavors and Fragrances, was interested in a living wall for the renovation of their R&D facility lobby. IFF artificially creates flavors and fragrances based on extensive studies of plant species. Known for walking the talk in the world of sustainability, and they wanted a living wall solution that complemented the rest of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ products, building materials, and finishings.

After factoring in their design goals and available infrastructure, a modular hydroponic planting panel system was chosen with an automatic non-recirculating irrigation system. This system was chosen for its high content of recyclable materials, inorganic growing media, unlimited planting surface (non-pigeon-holed), high energy and water-efficient operation, ultra-low plant turn-over rate, wide potential plant palette, and local greenhouse/assembly facility. IFF felt this highly sustainable system was reflective of their commitment to environmental stewardship.

To directly reflect the facility's nature, our team dedicated a portion of the living wall to plant species currently being studied on site, selected to appeal to a broad range of senses such as texture, color, and depth. To reflect the nature of the client's business, particular attention was given to fragrance during plant species selection such as coffee plants and vanilla orchids.

The living wall includes a remote monitoring irrigation system. The comprehensive design allows the manufacturer to work with our local maintenance technicians to monitor flow, adjust irrigation sequence/intervals, and precisely delivery water and nutrients to plants with very limited waste.

A long skylight running the entire width of the living wall was designed and installed directly above the system to reduce the auxiliary lighting energy load for much of the year. The lighting system has been programmed to ramp up during the winter months as needed.

The living wall is striking in its two story size and greets all who enter the lobby. This soaring atrium is a hub of corridors passed by most staff several times a day en route to the greenhouse, cafeteria, and research labs. It is central to the lobby's biophilic design and offers all who look at it a reprieve from their hurried day. An opportunity to connect with nature during the day the wall is a source of mental health benefits for all who see it. The plant wall is also great for sound attenuation as it offers echo muffling given that the lobby is frequently used as a communal area.

Judges praised the project for it’s unique integration with the client’s business, artistic plantscaping, and use of the space.

Boston Medical Center Rooftop Farm

Project
Boston Medical Center Rooftop Farm

Location
Boston, MA

Award Winner
Recover Green Roofs

Project Team

Client: Boston Medical Center
Designer & Installer/General Contractor: Recover Green Roofs
Farm Manager: Higher Ground Farm

“The goal with our rooftop farm is to provide fresh, local produce to as many of our patients, employees, and community members as possible...This initiative supports our mission to address social determinants of health by improving access to healthy fruits and vegetables, and is a perfect example of BMC’s dedication to sustainability and green efforts.”

— David Maffeo, Senior Director of Support Services; Boston Medical Center

Hospital Farming Takes Root in Boston

The rooftop farm, built in 2016, on top of the Boston Medical Center covers a previous black waterproofing on BMC's power plant building three stories up. The green synthetic turf layer between planting beds reflects more light than does black waterproofing, emitting less heat throughout the day and night, and reducing its contribution to urban heat island effect. The synthetic turf makes up only a portion of the roof, with living plants covering the rest of the roof’s 2,658 square foot area. The farm has also reduced the hospital's energy consumption by increasing its local food consumption and decreasing its "food miles" from food deliveries for the Food Pantry, cafeterias, and inpatient meals.

This rooftop farm supports 25 different crops and 2 bee hives. The diversity of crops supports local pollinators, which, along with the hives, pollinate nearly 75% of the food on the farm. The farm has flowers in continual blossom throughout the season creating habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators.

The rooftop farm grows food for use in the hospital's cafeterias, patient plates, food pantry, teaching kitchen and in-hospital affordable farmers market. The Farm location was chosen because of its visibility from the Shapiro Building; a glass backed building housing many of the hospitals main clinics caring for hundreds of patients each day. These patients have excellent visual access to the farm, directly across the street from where they are receiving care.

The irrigation system is a remote-monitored smart drip irrigation system that can be controlled by a smart phone. The system saves water by monitoring weather conditions and shutting off irrigation when rain is in the forecast. Drip emitters deliver water sub-surface directly to the roots to minimize water usage and evaporation.

The local community has many opportunities to engage with the farm through weekly tours and volunteer opportunities as well as free educational events for patients and employees. Additionally summer camps are offered in partnership with the teaching kitchen offering 2 weeks of free summer camp for patient and employee kids and 4 weeks of summer camp programming with Boston Public Schools and Boston Public Health Commission.

The farm is integrated with the Nourishing Our Community program which includes the rooftop farm, Teaching Kitchen, and Preventative Food Pantry. The Teaching Kitchen holds classes for patients and staff, topics include: 'Cooking for cancer survivors', 'cooking on a budget', 'cooking with diabetes', ' cooking 101,' to name a few. The Preventative Food Pantry supports individuals with special nutritional needs that are referred to the Pantry by BMC primary care providers. The Pantry is often used by patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions. Both the Food Pantry and the Kitchen receive fresh produce from the rooftop farm.

Judges praised this project for its multiple program uses and outreach opportunities within the community, innovative problem solving, and aesthetics.

Garage Apartments

Project
Garage Apartments

Location
Asheville, NC

Award Winner
Living Roofs, Inc

Project Team

Architect: Alberice Architecture + Design, PA
Design, Installation, Maintenance: Living Roofs Inc
Developer: Public Interest Projects, Inc
General Contractor: Garanco Construction
Planting Design: Roots First Design

“The green roof on the Garage Apartments demonstrates how a small roof can have a big impact on the ecological health of the city. Asheville is located in a region experiencing tremendous development as well as pollinator habitat loss and threats to biodiversity. The roof on this urban infill project was designed to provide habitat and food sources for native pollinators. The roof is teeming with life and has become a beautiful amenity for the client and the surrounding buildings.”

— Kathryn Ancaya, Landscape Architect; Living Roofs Inc

Infill Revitalization for Bee City USA

The client, Public Interest Projects (PIP), invested in the heart of Asheville when downtown was neglected and empty. They spearheaded the revitalization of the now thriving downtown. True to their mission, they have not stopped influencing development over 20 years later. PIP identified a small sliver of land behind the Aloft Hotel as an infill opportunity to incorporate housing (still a scarcity in downtown) and commercial space. As with all of their projects, they aimed at environmental and social sustainability.

The green roof was a part of that desire, and PIP teamed with Living Roofs, Inc to design and install a unique green roof in the city. The roof is teeming with life and beautiful to look at and demonstrates how even a small green can have a big impact on the ecological health of the city.

Due to the mountainous terrain of Asheville, many streets have views of the roof, so taller species of grasses and perennials were used in the design to increase awareness of the living roof. Another consideration was the adjacent hotel pool deck. The green roof is highly visible from this spot and ensures that the thousands of guests who stay at the hotel leave with an awareness and appreciation of green roofs. With this in mind, the plant community was designed as a ‘stylized meadow’ with large drifts of blooming plants.

The City of Asheville was the first city in the United States certified as a Bee City USA. Bee City USA is a program of the Xerces Society that has 93 Bee Cities which endorse a set of commitments, defined in a resolution, for creating sustainable habitats for pollinators. Asheville is located in a region experiencing tremendous development as well as reductions in pollinator habitat loss and threats to biodiversity. The green roof was designed to support a diverse plant community focused on pollinator habitat and food sources through plant selection and layout. The plantings were designed to support native plants in a very intentional way, creating a pocket of beauty in an unexpected place, and all sourced from within the region. We were also able to engage with local growers to custom grow important pollinator plants such as Mountain Mint and Solidago. The plant selection was the first step in developing a dynamic urban community that supports native pollinators, reduces heat island effect, and allows rain that falls to infiltrate and evapo-transpire more like it would in nature. The green roof provides habitat and food for butterflies and other pollinators and songbirds within downtown Asheville.

Judges praised this project for it’s consideration of native plantings, maximization of performance opportunities, and pushing forward of best management practices in Asheville.

Weiser Hall

Project
Weiser Hall

Location
Ann Arbor, MI

Award Winner
Diamond Schmitt Architects

Project Team

Architect: Matthew Smith, Diamond Schmitt Architects
Building Envelope Engineer: Chris Van Dongen, Entuitive
Client: Robert Johnston, University of Michigan; Susan Monroe, University of Michigan
Contractor: John Durst, DeMaria
Cost Consultant: Riv Manning, Vermeulens
Electrical Engineer: Yilin Liu, Crossey Engineering Ltd
Green Wall Manufacturer: Alan Darlington, Nedlaw Living Walls
Lead Code Consultant: Joseph Plati, Code Consultants Professional Engineers, PC
Mechanical Engineer: Dominic Ponamte, Crossey Engineering Ltd
Structural Engineer: Karolina Jagielska, RJC Engineers

“In transforming this ten-storey tower at University of Michigan for new academic purpose, we saw the opportunity to include four double-height living walls, each one above the next, as the central feature of community clusters that prominently anchor the building and overlook the campus”

— Don Schmitt, Diamond Schmitt Architects

Creating a Dynamic Learning Environment for Interdisciplinary Study

The renovation of Weiser Hall repurposes the mid-century ten-storey tower, creating dynamic learning environments for interdisciplinary study and exchange. The renewed building now provides flexibility, daylight, and accessibility with highly sustainable design features.

Columns and ceilings were exposed enlarging open spaces and floors were uniquely configured to accommodate academic, social, and administrative use. Four double-height community commons are stacked at the southwest corner, each featuring biofilter living walls, serving as educational and botanical displays highlighting how biological systems can improve indoor environments.

The living walls provide air quality improvements, actively drawing air through the plant root systems relying on diverse microbial life to eliminate volatile organic compounds without the need for outdoor air ventilation. Plants provide transpiration cooling in the summer and humidification in the winter, further improving the building’s energy performance. Additionally, due to the orientation and sunny conditions, supplemental lighting systems were not required. The walls also have important roles in the acoustic environment of the space. Water trickling through the system generates biophilic sound, which has a great impact on the aesthetics of the space while the plant and rooting material, structurally similar to acoustic tiles, increase sound attenuation.

The inviting green feature provides a focal point for encounters and is symbolic of the sustainable design principles that are as much a part of the facility as providing a coherent and engaging academic environment.

Judges praised the project as an amazing adaptation of interior green wall technology on building renovation in highly visible setting as well as the highly technical implementation.

McArthur/McCollum Building Rooftop Meadow

Project
McArthur/McCollum Building Rooftop Meadow

Location
Boston, MA

Award Winner
Recover Green Roofs
Omni Ecosystems

Project Team

Bee Keeper: Noah Wilson-Rich, Best Bees Company
Client: Julia Musso, Harvard Business School
Designer & Green Roof Installer: Richie Harvey, Recover Green Roofs; Brendan Shea, Recover Green Roofs
Designer & System Manufacturer: Molly Meyer, Omni Ecosystems; Jessica Bourque, Omni Ecosystems
Waterproofing Installer: John Marcone, Gilbert & Becker Co
Waterproofing Manufacturer: Paul Muller, Sika Sarnafil

“We hope this self-regenerating roof ecosystem causes people to take pause and reconsider their relationship to the built environment, particularly when they see “rooftop-foraged daikon radishes” on the Harvard dining services menu. ”

— Molly Meyer, Omni Ecosystems

A Self-Regenerating Roof Ecosystem Along The Charles River

Across seven sections of a multi-tiered roof on Harvard Business School’s McArthur/McCollum building stretches an 11,000 ft2 extensive meadow. The design team searched for an innovative solution that would be light enough to satisfy weight restrictions for the building while showcasing a highly visible and structurally complex roof. The McArthur/McCollum rooftop meadow is the first of its kind in the region.

With an ultra-light media blend that allows for a diverse plant palette capable of growing a huge variety of native species, the meadow is designed to be self-regenerating throughout the years. The plant design takes inspiration from the adjacent Charles River ecosystem and the meadow seed mix unifies the seven roofs while distinct clusters of perennials create distinctive patterning. Honeybee hives are monitored for local pollinator data and a creative irrigation plan secured the seeded media during establishment.

During installation, extreme care was given to the salvage and reuse of building materials, as well as an existing extensive sedum green roof system and maintain the existing heritage structure.

The project challenges people to reconsider their relationship to the built environment, changing the paradigm of what a building is capable of, especially when they see “rooftop-foraged daikon radishes” on the menu in the Harvard Dining Hall.

Judges praised this project for its scale, plant palette, and integration into the local ecology, as well as overall water quality enhancement strategy for the Charles River. They also found it to be an excellent application of green roof technology on an existing educational structure.

IAC Sunset

Project
IAC Sunset

Location
Los Angeles, CA

Award Winner
Rana Creek Design

Project Team

Build: Alexander Ramey, Rana Creek Design
Contract Grow Manager: Marta Kephart, Rana Creek Design
Design: Blake Jopling, Rana Creek Design; Matt Yurus, Rana Creek Design; Brent Jacobsen, Rios Clementi Hale; Sebastian Salvado, Rios Clementi Hale; Naseema Asif, Rios Clementi Hale

Beyond Adornment - IAC's Living Wall in the Arid Urban Environment of Los Angeles

Draping 11,000 plants over an existing six-story building, Rana Creek and Rios Clemente Hale Studios created a living wall to revitalize the IAC Headquarters in Hollywood, CA. Suspended at an angle from the building face, the living wall grows along the structure, transitioning from vertical to horizontal, forming a dramatic canopy at the building entrance.

Seeking to create a new urban ecology, the living wall provides a breath of fresh air for pedestrians on the iconic Sunset Strip, and creates habitat opportunities and other resources for regional birds and pollinators. With an understanding of how essential it was to create meaningful links to the local ecology, the planting design prioritized species native to Southern California which can be found in the hills and canyons of Los Angeles.

Vertical troughs are attached to a white brick façade at their highest point and protrude as much as 14' feet at the second floor, creating a garden awning. The grid structure allows light to stream through, while the lines of the lattice create shade down below.

Located in an area of Los Angeles that was once wetland, the building had regular flooding issues in its subterranean garage. As a result of utilizing this resource for irrigation, zero potable water is used and roughly 100,000 gallons are saved per year.

Judges praised this project for its striking visuals, and prominence in a highly visible setting. They also praised the project for having overcome a variety of technical and environmental challenges in designing this project.