Landscape Concepts Management Installs Its Largest Green Roof to Date! While Landscape Concepts Management (LCM) Seasonal Color Department is trend setting on the streetscapes of Michigan Avenue, their enhancement crews are 17 stories up supporting Chicago’s efforts to maintain the title of the “Greenest City in America”! For two straight weeks in July, LCM installed a 16,000 sq. ft. green roof at 900 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. This project was truly a collaborative effort between Riddiford Roofing - the roofing contractor, Liveroof - the grower of the 8,000+ trays, Hoerr Schaudt - the landscape architects and designers, Urban Retail Properties - the management company, and LCM - the greenroof and irrigation installer. The staff from the various trades, on many occasions, worked together closely to provide a seamless transition from start to finish. Weight limitations can often be a barrier for the installation of a green roof, so a tray system was selected to preserve the structural integrity of the roof. Tray systems are not often perceived as producing the most aesthetically desirable results due to the restricted amount of soil depth (4”), which can limit your plant choices. Therefore, in order to add height, dynamism and diversity to the roof, the design team elected to use Liveroofs first ever 6” deep tray, which can accommodate the soil depths requirements of perennial grasses. The designers even took it one step further and choose to incorporate several custom plant mixes and laid them out in a block pattern to create a quilted pattern. After completion, LCM was onsite every two weeks to ensure the overall vitality of the green roof. This included complete weeding services, as well as photo documentation to identify problem areas that may exist with any of the plant materials. Thus far, the green roof is well on its way to reaching full maturity and Chicago is now one rooftop closer to maintaining its title. If you are contemplating a green roof for your property please consider the following, • Green roof projects can take several months, or even years, to complete, so it is important to plan ahead! • Retrofitting a green roof is not always easy and the load the roof can bear will often dictate the design. • Regular maintenance is critical to the life of a green roof. • Hire a professional landscaping company who has knowledge and experience with working on green roofs to ensure the health and safety of the project.