An Update on the Green Roof at United Therapeutics

OvS paid a visit to the United Therapeutics Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland on May 25th to complete a Final Plant Warranty Inspection for the site. The purpose of the visit was to inspect all plant material and determine if any replacements were required. We completed a walkthrough of the site and were pleasantly surprised to find that there were very few replacements required. We were also shocked at just how much the plants had grown in a two-year period.

The roof terraces in particular were fantastic. The Achillea tomentosa was a full bloom bright yellow, the Salvia ‘Tesquicola’ was just starting to pop blue and the multiple different colored Sedums had spread as intended. Stainless steel planters, the 6th floor arbor, and beautiful site furnishings, together with the plantings, have created pleasant outdoor rooms to be enjoyed by the employees of United Therapeutics.

 

 

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Spring is Here!

By this point, there is no doubting that we’ve been ready for Spring. Take a look at our past couple of postings – we’ve been talking about Spring’s arrival since late February!

Chicago Botanic Garden green roof

Even though Mother Nature doesn’t have her mind COMPLETELY made up about the switchover to Springtime, (Cherry!) blossoms, buds and blooms are popping up all over the place – including the green roof on the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Science Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden. In fact, just this week, the Science Center’s green roof was Project of the Week at www.greenroofs.com AND featured prominently on their blog – Sky Gardens: Where Cool Green Meets Lofty Blue. Pay these guys a visit, and help them inform, promote and inspire the earth-friendly technology of green roof architecture! FINALLY – spring is here!

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The Chicago Botanic Garden Trellis Bridge

There is exciting progress on the Trellis Bridge at the Chicago Botanic Garden! Construction began this past fall and with the stone piers and steel beams in place, the bridge is ready for wood decking.

The Trellis Bridge is the third in a series of bridges designed by Oehme, van Sweden at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Each bridge was designed with classic elements of the garden in mind. The Serpentine Bridge recalls the gentle meandering form of a garden path. The Arch Bridge and adjacent plantings were inspired by Monet’s famous bridge paintings and an Impressionist color palette. The new bridge features a cable trellis to guide vines planted on the shore out past the water’s edge and along the span of the bridge, providing a contemporary take on the traditional garden trellis.

Once completed, the Trellis Bridge will link Evening Island to CBG’s Plant Evaluation Garden and the new Plant Conservation Science Center. The Plant Conservation Science Center is a LEED Gold Certified 38,000 square foot facility housing state-of-the art laboratories and teaching facilities to support the garden’s ongoing mission of plant conservation. The building’s viewing gallery and green roof (designed by OvS as well!) are open to the public and offer visitors a unique opportunity to get a firsthand look at the science and study of plants.

Stay tuned as construction on the Trellis Bridge progresses!

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United Therapeutics Project Wins US Green Building Council Award of Excellence

Oehme, van Sweden is proud to announce that the National Capital Region Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council has selected Schick Goldstein Architect’s United Therapeutics project in Silver Spring, Maryland as the recipient of its 2010 Award of Excellence for new Building Design and Construction. Oehme, van Sweden was part of the Schick Goldstein team for this project to design an international headquarters for the biotechnology company United Therapeutics. The project, awarded LEED Gold status in April 2010, features extensive green roof terraces accessible from many of the offices, workstations and conference rooms.

Announcement of the award was made at the NCR Chapter’s “A Midsummer Night’s Green” event on July 28, 2010 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The USGBC NCR chapter developed the Awards program in order to recognize outstanding accomplishments in sustainable design and construction, to honor USGBC member firms that have adopted “green” practices into their mission, and to celebrate individuals who have advanced sustainability in the chapter’s region. The award recipients were selected by a distinguished panel of leaders from the national capital region in various fields in the sustainable design community and development industry.

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