Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2019 - 15

Images courtesy of Living Roofs Inc

"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 other 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

ublic Interest Projects (PIP), invested in
the heart of Asheville when downtown was
neglected and empty and 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 roof 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 area and ensures that
the thousands of guests who stay at the hotel
leave with a new awareness and appreciation of
green roofs. With this in mind, the plant community was designed as a 'stylized meadow'
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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 all of whom
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
other 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 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.

CATEGORY
Multi-Unit Residential
PROJECT
Garage Apartments
LOCATION
Asheville, NC
AWARD WINNER
Living Roofs, Inc
TEAM MEMBERS
Design, Installation, Maintenance
Living Roofs, Inc
Developer
Public Interest Projects, Inc
Architecture
Alberice Architecture +
Design, PA
General Contractor
Garanco Construction
Planting Design
Roots First Design

LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / FALL 2019 / 15

http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2019