Five Exceptional Green Roofs at Condos in the DC Area

• April 17, 2009
• 7 Comments

by Mark Wellborn

Cromley Lofts

In honor of the beautiful day that we are having and the equally nice weekend that is expected, we decided to get into the environmentally friendly mood and re-publish our feature on the condos in the DC area with the “greenest” rooftops.

(Originally published on January 16, 2009)

The term “green roof” brings to mind an image of a roof with a patch of green lawn that is meant for relaxing on a sunny day. However, the reality is that green roofs look quite different. “It is usually just gravel with shrubs and plants on it,” Jamie Test of CondoAuthority told UrbanTurf. “They are not really things that you go up and lounge around on.” Even though they are not conceived as rooftop paradises, green roofs serve a very important purpose: they help protect the environment. The specific eco-benefits vary from roof to roof as you’ll see in the five condos featured below.

The eight-unit Cromley Lofts in Old Town, Alexandria (see map here) is located in a former steam laundry, but its design and environmentally-friendly features are very 21st century. Builder William Cromley went to great lengths to make the development energy-efficient, going so far as to offer a $50 discount on a unit’s condo fee if the owner did not use a car to commute to work. The green roof which covers the majority of the roof helps “reduce the ambient air temperature” and filters storm water run-off, according to the development’s website.

The Alta at Thomas Circle

The Alta at Thomas Circle near Logan Circle (see map here) was one of the first LEED-certified condominium buildings in DC.  It boasts energy-saving appliances, reduced water usage, and low E-glass windows in most of its units. The building’s green roof, a series of gardens, helps control the amount of storm water drainage for the development and recycles water that can be used in the building. The developer, PN Hoffman, has stated that most of their future condo projects will include a green roof.

There has been a good deal of fanfare surrounding the 189-unit Spectrum at Falls Church (see map here), which opened in March 2008, and much of it revolved around the development’s eco-friendly design. The building features a green roof designed to improve air quality and filter storm water, but the drought-resistant plants that grow on it also provide thermal insulation that reduce energy consumption in the building and increase sound insulation for the development’s residents.

Lofts 11

The developers of Lofts 11, a 27-unit condo development just south of Logan Circle (see map here), worked very closely with DC Greenworks, a non-profit that focuses on design aimed at advancing and protecting the environment. “Both the developer Gail Montplaisir and the architect of Lofts 11 are very supportive of green roofs, and there is green roof on every square inch of available roof space,” Sara Loveland of DCGreenworks told UrbanTurf. Loveland said that Lofts 11 has even allowed DCGreenworks to use some of the penthouse roof area to conduct green roof research.

Although it will not be complete until July 4th, the green roof at the General Scott Condos at 1 Scott Circle NW (see map here) is worthy of mention. The owners of this long-ago opened condominium complex have commissioned French Studios Architecture to create an 8,000 square-foot vegetated green roof. The installation will make for one of the largest green roofs in the DC area when it is complete. “The residents recognized the roof as an opportunity to do more than just replace the conventional construction with more of the same, and by doing so have committed to a greener renovation,” the website says.

7 Comments

1. Matty D said at 3:41 am on Tuesday January 20, 2009:

   This sounds amazing. I wonder if you’re allowed to grow trees up on those roofs…..

1. tom veil said at 6:15 pm on Wednesday January 21, 2009:

   Matty D: Most green roofs can’t support trees, because trees need several feet of soil for their roofs.  Plenty can support nice shrubs and perennials, though.

1. WDC2 said at 4:29 pm on Saturday March 28, 2009:

   3303 Water Street has won several awards for it’s green roof.

1. WDC2 said at 4:31 pm on Saturday March 28, 2009:

   3303 Water Street has won several awards for it’s green roof.

   http://www.ovsla.com/New Portfolio Pages/3303 WATER ST_1.htm

1. Andy said at 10:56 pm on Wednesday April 15, 2009:

   Does anyone know if there are any places in DC that have a green roof?

1. Ben McMurtry said at 5:20 pm on Friday April 17, 2009:

   Kenyon Square in Columbia Heights has a grass on part of it’s roof.

1. aj said at 12:45 pm on Monday April 20, 2009:

   there are plenty of places and will be more to come. green roofs are now becoming the default in DC - they are in the new building code, they prevent solar heat gain (urban heat island effect), they protect the roofing membrane from UV light and degradation and reduce or eliminate stormwater runoff, reducing fees that have to be paid to the District for stormwater management. you should start to see them on all newly constructed buildings.

Join the discussion