The $30 million development Grand Rapids Downtown Market is a mixed-use facility that brings together production, distribution, marketing and education about local produce. The indoor facility features a 24-vendor market hall, while dozens of farmers and artisans line the outdoor farmer’s market shed. The founders of the Downtown Market had a vision for a green facility which reflected their commitment to local, sustainable products. As the first LEED-intended green market in the U.S., the design team carefully chose products which met the green building standards.

In keeping with the LEED Certified Downtown Market, the LiveRoof team established a healthy, sustainable ecosystem that covers the rooftop with seamless vegetation and now the Grand Rapids Downtown Market has a living roof to complement its living walls which LiveWall installed in May, 2013. The Market’s 4.25 inch LiveRoof hybrid green roof system is publicly accessible, providing a relaxing space for visitors and staff.

Installation was completed on June 28, 2013 on the 1,200 square foot living, green roof featuring three patterned plant mixes of yellow, green and pink, and red and purple. And it now accompanies the 832 square foot outdoor living walls, perhaps the biggest in the state.

Grand Rapids-based designers Pete Lazdins and Michelle Hoffner, of Progressive AE, assisted in the selection of LiveRoof and LiveWall systems. Local general contractor Pioneer Construction, who built the Market, oversaw the living roof installation, which was completed by Dorr-based contractor Modern Roofing.

Locally sourced and grown materials are essential to the ethos of the market, with made-in-Michigan aluminum railings and molded planter boxes, as well the wall and roof plants, which were all grown less than 30 miles from the Market’s location. In total, both systems were produced using materials almost entirely sourced within 200 miles of the project.

See the Grand Rapids Downtown Market Living Walls in the Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.