Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2008 - (Page 20)

PROJECT PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS LOCATION Inner Harbor East in Baltimore, Maryland PROJECT The Vue GREENROOF GARDEN SIZE 34,000 sq . COMPLETION DATE Summer 2007 CLIENT/DEVELOPER H&S Properties with Struever Brothers Eccles Rouse GREEN ROOF AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Mahan Rykiel Associates Inc. ARCHITECT Bea y Harvey Architects DESIGN ARCHITECT FOR HOTEL AND RESIDENTIAL HKS Inc., formerly Hill Glazier Architects DESIGN ARCHITECT FOR OFFICE AND THEATER Development Design Group CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Morris & Ritchie Associates Inc. MEP Allen & Shariﬀ CONTRACTOR Armada Hoﬄer WATERPROOFING CONSULTANT Atlantic Waterprooﬁng CONCRETE CONTRACTORS Schuster Concrete LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR Tru-Green Landscaping FOUNTAIN DESIGNER Delta Fountains LIGHTING Grenald Waldron Associates ike many cities in the United States, Baltimore is currently in the process of reinventing itself in order to reverse the trend of outward migration to the suburbs. While providing millions of square feet of new development intended to reinvigorate its aging downtown, Baltimore has been able to meet the challenge of providing viable downtown green space as well. This is especially important in luring suburbanites back to the city, where the convenience, excitement and efficiency of urban living is often not enough to overcome the perceived safety and natural beauty of the suburbs. For many who might consider relocation, an urban park, however grand, is no substitute for having your own backyard. At Harbor East, Baltimore’s fastest growing urban waterfront district, the solution a small group of developers have chosen has been to incorporate green roofs into each project to provide useable, viable green space for residents without sacrificing density. The Vue is the latest project to be realized at Harbor East. Jointly developed by H&S properties and Struever Brothers Eccles and Rouse (sber), the project is a mixed-use endeavor which builds upon the success of other recent projects in the area. The “wrapper” building, designed to read as five independent buildings with varying finishes, articulation and heights, is comprised of 122 luxury condominium units, a 348-room Homewood Suites and Hilton Garden Inn, 230,000-square-feet of office space and 110,000-square-feet of commercial space. The crowning jewel of the project is the 34,000-square-foot intensive green roof perched atop the seven-story, 500-space parking garage at its center. L PLANNING FOR WATER There are many issues to be dealt with in developing intensive green roofs, but this particular program and location were especially challenging. H&S Properties and SBER were committed to providing a high-quality environment for the project. From the very beginning it was assumed that the design for the green roof would incorporate a fountain – no small feat for a 34,000-squarefoot green roof designed on a budget of only $1.6 million dollars. High-end paving and cladding materials such as brick and granite would have to make way for cost-effective concrete. As a result, much greater emphasis would need to be placed on detailing and execution. Close coordination and continuous communication with the contractor would also be critical to assuring the finished product would be of a quality in keeping with the vision and expectation of the ownership and design team. The plaza would have to provide a comfortable refuge for the hotel guest, accommodate daily use of office employees and serve as the “backyard” and community park for the many permanent residents of the building. In addition, given the number of storeys looking down on the plaza in both the office and residential wings, it was also important to develop a design that was pleasing when viewed from above. This last point was critical not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from a marketing perspective. The green roof would offer a “park” view to the units in the building not provided vistas of the harbor. The mixed-use character of the building, while contributing greatly to its 20 LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR FALL

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2008

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2008
Contents
From the Founder: A Robust Economy
Letters
Strata - People, Products & Projects: Austin's Hotspot for Habitat & Baltimore Hilton Goes Green
A Green Roof for a County Courthouse
Research Grant for Design Tool
On the Roof With...
A New Vue on Downtown Open Space
Sound Transmission Loss of Extensive Green Roofs
On Target
Optimizing for Sustainability
First GRHC Green Roof Symposium in Florida
Welcome New Corporate Members
Professional Calendar
Experts Reflect on the Value of the GRP

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Fall 2008