Heaven is on a Rooftop in Chinatown

The USGBC recently gave a tour of Chris and Lisa Goode's green roof located in the heart of Chinatown. Chris and Lisa designed and installed the roof themselves after buying the building. During the tour they shared some interesting stories about the process, like bringing giant trees onto the roof by using the top of the elevator. Since the installation of their own roof they started Goode Green, a green roof company.

The Goode's roof is a very dynamic outdoor living space. The roof is multi-tiered and has a small house in the center of the main roof which serves as a sheltered lounge space. We didn't get to see the inside of the little house but I imagine it has a kitchen, bathroom, and is heated during the winter. They have a lush green lawn with a formal garden border surrounding it, they have large shade trees one can sit under on a comfortable chair, fruit trees espaliered onto a trellis, vines hanging everywhere, tomatoes and other vegetables, wildflowers, chicken, and fish.

They use a variety of materials to create both a modern and a rustic atmosphere. They have aluminum planters and reclaimed wood paths with grasses and sedum growing in between planks. They use steel troughs to store rainwater and grow aquatic plants.

Coy swim in a small pool. Two chickens have their own little house and runway neatly hid behind the border garden. An irrigation system and a good gardener keeps everything looking great, better than most gardens I've seen this summer after a one month drought and on going heat.

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Enjoy!