City's First Green Roof
Lowell, Massachusetts
Located in the heart of the National Historical Park district of downtown Lowell, a city celebrated as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Enterprise Bank & Trust was emboldened to create the first extensive green roof in the city. With a roof requiring repair, the Bank was motivated to use green technologies to conserve building energy, to provide longevity for the life of the roof, to create an educational component on local environmental initiatives, and to provide an aesthetic improvement for the city and the Bank's employees to enjoy. This green roof further supports Lowell's "Flowering City" initiatives as well as provides a demonstration of the "greening revolution" of industry.
For the lower roof, the design of the planting was based on dividing the roof into 7 segments located between a series of office windows looking out onto the roof. Each segment was planted with two sedum species of similar color with a general spectrum ranging from red/rose colors to yellow to white. Self-sowing, low-growing perennials were planted to weave between the planting bands and roof HVAC systems. For the upper roof, the trays were placed in a rectangular arrangement.
Design Team
Alison Duncan Design