Green Roofs

With Denver’s Green Roof Initiative passing this fall, green roofs will become more common within our City. Ordinance 300 requires buildings 25,000 SF or larger to have a portion of their roof dedicated to a green roof, which may include vegetation and solar photovoltaic systems (PV). The requirement affects both new buildings and existing structures with roof replacements or additions. Each building will be required to include green roofs with a coverage of available roof space of at least 20%, with additional space required depending on the building size as follows:

Gross Floor Area                    Coverage of Available Roof Space
25,000 – 49,999 SF                 20%
50,000 – 99,999 SF                 30%
100,000 – 149,999 SF              40%
150,000 – 199,999 SF               50%
200,000 SF or greater              60%

 

StudioCPG has designed several green roofs in Colorado, including two in the Denver Metro area. These green roof designs range from intensive to extensive and create spaces for people to inhabit while also making the buildings themselves more energy efficient and reducing the urban heat island effect.  Intensive roofs include deeper soils depths and a variety of plantings, while extensive roofs have a shallow soil profile and include only short groundcovers.  Our projects include:

 Vida at Sloan’s Lake

StudioCPG provided landscape architectural service for the Denver Housing Authority’s new affordable senior housing facility, Vida at Sloan’s Lake. The building design includes an intensive green roof that provides open space for the residents. Plantings are included in site-constructed and pre-fabricated boxes, and range from sensory garden plantings to a variety of shrubs and small trees. There are raised beds for residents’ use as a community garden, and the space includes areas for walking, sitting, yoga, outdoor cooking and a dog run.

Sun Valley Eco District (SVED)

SVED 2506 is a seven-story office and retail building that will serve as headquarters for the Sun Valley Eco District. The building will be located at the confluence of the South Platte River and Lakewood Dry Gulch, just south of Mile High Stadium. The landscape design incorporates a civic-oriented streetscape along Old West Colfax, a multi-functional terrace that serves as event space and accommodates parking, and a publicly accessible roof garden. The roof garden on the fourth floor includes an intensive green roof with trees and native low water plantings.  It will be used for daily activities including small gathering and seating areas, as well as events and parties that spill from the building’s performance spaces.

The Santa Rita Wastewater Facility Administration Building

The Santa Rita Wastewater Facility Administration Building in Durango, Colorado, is adjacent to Santa Rita Park along the Animas River and Trail.  The roof deck includes a green roof for water facility employees. The terrace is lined with large rectangular pots planted with grasses and sedums. Solar photovoltaic panels are located on adjacent, inaccessible roof areas. Public spaces located around the building include restrooms, an outdoor terrace and canoe staging lawn.