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.”
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.
