Written by and posted originally on www.roofmeadow.com
Think about the last time you were laid up, sick – or worse, in the hospital. Even if your healing required aid from others, instinct probably directed you (or at least your attention) outdoors – to help you heal yourself.
View from a patient’s room at the UVA Hospital
Studies suggest that the restorative experience of nature imparts a sense of freedom and a connectivity to something larger. In this state, the mind-body instinctively boosts mood, self-esteem and focus and reduces stress. The soul in its natural state – in nature – is fueled.
Green roof pyramids echo the shape of the skylights.
Healing places tap into this phenomenon, and Roofmeadow is honored to have shared this particular healing mission with the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville. For its new hospital expansion, the University sought a green roof that would be visible from patient rooms. Our design team responded to Charlottesville’s terrain of winding rivers, agricultural fields, and wooded hills. The design abstracts this imagery into patterns with distinctive and seasonal contrasts of foliage color, texture, height and bloom. Strategic hardscape – narrow curbs, edgings, decorative aggregate – add crisp lines which add clarity to the visual pattern.
A distinct pattern provides visual interest.
Every time you look upon this dynamic roofscape – morning or evening, summer or winter — shadows, wind, and seasonal foliage and blooms create a new experience. Sedum pyramids extend the pyramid skylight pattern. Like sundials, all the pyramids – green or glass – generate a dance of shadows across the roof that changes in unison throughout the day. Extending from a blue glass aggregate river, bands of ornamental grasses move in the wind, animating the roof with fluctuating texture and movement.
Ornamental grasses will mature and provide horticultural and visual interest.
A beautiful design is lost without the expert contractors and quality materials that bring it to life. During construction, green roof installer, Greenrise Technologies, and Sedum mat provider, Sempergreen, collaborated closely with Roofmeadow to make this vision a reality.
BE WELL!
To the patients at the University of Virginia Hospital, Team Roofmeadow says, “Be well.”