Ashville, NC, USA. (September 21, 2022) – Living Roofs, Inc. (LRI) is a small firm that specializes in the design and implementation of green roofs and living walls. They collaborate with designers and developers to provide high quality green roof and green wall systems for commercial, residential, and institutional structures.

On the third-floor terrace of Mission Hospital’s North Tower, patients and staff can take a lunch break or respite amid a sun-dappled ornamental garden, while savoring westward views of Mount Pisgah and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s a big step up from the previous alfresco break space, which was essentially the parking lot.

The green roof project at 145 Biltmore helped the developers avoid having to install a subsurface stormwater containment system and, instead, repurpose the saved space for parking. The green roof also helps lower the building’s energy costs and will extend the lifespan of the roof.

Having that connection to nature and beauty that the living environment provides is an obvious enhancement.

A lot of people think of a green or living roof as an amenity, says Kate Ancaya, who, along with her partner, Emilio, own Asheville-based Living Roofs Inc., one of only two companies in the Southeast that specializes in green roof design and installation.

They installed a living roof at the hospital and on dozens of other residential and commercial properties across the Southeast, but beautification, Kate says, is merely a superficial benefit of what a green roof can do for a city as a whole.

Image Credit: Living Roofs Inc.

The green roof serves as a stormwater control measure to meet the city’s stormwater permit requirements to control the volume of runoff in an effort to reduce pollutants and flooding. The green roof allowed the developer to avoid a subsurface stormwater containment system and repurpose the saved space for needed parking.

As added benefits, the green roof will also lower the building’s energy demands by shading the surface and reducing indoor temperatures, and will extend the lifespan of the roofing by insulating it from temperature fluctuations, UV rays, and exposure to the elements.

Read more:

Beyond Ornamentation – Living Roofs and Green Infrastructure as a Path to Climate Resilience, by Melissa Reardon for Green Built Alliance