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Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 4/7/14
Via Verde – The Green Way
Bronx, New York City, NY, USA
40,000 sf. Greenroof
Project Description & Details
Situated in the heart of the South Bronx, the multi-award winning Via Verde – The Green Way, is a model of green living at its best with a 66 kW building-integrated photovoltaic system, onsite cogeneration, rainwater harvesting, community vegetable gardens, green roofs and much more. Designed by Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects, financing for this $98 million project from owner/developer Jonathan Rose Companies / Phipps Houses was the result of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s multiple tax bond and subsidy initiatives which allowed those with a lower income to qualify for residential eligibility.
With an extraordinarily high incidence of asthma in the Bronx, along with prevailing obesity, partially because of limited access to fresh produce in poor neighborhoods, Via Verde was conceived to solve such health concerns. Lending a unique identity to the LEED NC Gold certified development, a series of green roofs designed by Lee Weintraub Landscape Architects serves as the organizing architectural element, stepping up from three-story townhouses at the southern end of the site to a 20-story tower at the north. Utilizing Garden Roof® Assemblies from American Hydrotech, greenroof contractor Nations Roof East exercised great care with Via Verde’s working heights which soar some twenty stories above ground level. The variety of plants used within the many Via Verde roof levels includes succulents; sod grass lawns; perennial and annual flowers; diverse vegetables such as kale and tomatoes; fruit such as raspberries and blueberries; shrubs; and even small apple and fir trees, the latter of which are decorated during the festive Christmas holidays.
Year: 2012
Owner: Jonathan Rose Companies / Phipps Houses
Location: Bronx, New York City, NY, USA
Building Type: Multi-Use
Type: Intensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 40,000 sq.ft.
Grade: 1%
Access: Accessible, Private
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Architectural Designers: Dattner Architects and Grimshaw Architects
Greenroof Landscape Designer: Lee Weintraub Landscape Architects
Greenroof Contractor: Nations Roof LLC, Richard M. Nugent, CEO and Nations Roof East, LLC, Michael Johannes, President
Greenroof System: Garden Roof® Assembly, American Hydrotech
Energy Efficiency, Solar Design & LEED Consultant: Bright Power
General Contractor: Lettire Construction Corp.
Energy Consultant: Association for Energy Affordability
New! Project of the Week Video Feature
Watch the Via Verde – The Green Way Project of the Week Video below or see it on our on greenroofs.TV on YouTube:
Click here to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.
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Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!
~ Linda V.
Longboat Key Architect
What an inspirational project. I think more architects should look to incorporate green roofs and green walls on building projects especially in large cities. I really like the addition of vegetable gardens throughout the project.