NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teresa Carleo, president and owner of Plant Fantasies, Inc., http://www.plantfantasies.com has announced that the green roof topping for 250 Hudson Street in New York City, received a Green Roof Award of Excellence from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC). Designed by FXFOWLE Architects in collaboration with Plant Fantasies, the project received the award in the intensive industrial/commercial category at a special ceremony on December 2, 2010 at GRHC's eighth annual "The Cities Alive Green Roof and Wall Conference," held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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FXFOWLE, Plant Fantasies, and the entire project team were lauded for skillfully using "plants and flowers of different textures to create a relaxing 8,000-square foot rooftop space for tenants," the crowning glory of a $30 million retrofit of the property owned by Jack Resnick & Sons. Located near TriBeCa, SoHo and the West Village, 250 Hudson Street has spectacular views of the Hudson River, the New Jersey skyline and downtown Manhattan. The tenant accessible roof was completed in the summer of 2009.
Jeffrey L. Bruce, Chairman of GRHC noted that there was "an exceptionally competitive program this year;" making the honor doubly prized.
Says Carleo, "The roof greatly enhances the building's appeal. The objective was to create a prairie- like setting with varying plants and flowers of different textures and colors able to last from spring to fall, withstand the windy conditions, and have the proper scale for the space."
White crabapple trees will remain low, while Boston ivy vines and Clematis are shade-tolerant and intertwining. The green roof significantly reduces the heat island effect of paved roofs, making the building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It features self-irrigating and drainage systems; and uses dense, non-decaying woods as trellises.
In May 2010, Plant Fantasies' landscape designer, Michael Tull, and FXFOWLE's project architect, Scott Melching, conducted a tour of the eco-friendly roof for members of the Urban Green Council, the New York chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
The GRHC award acknowledges excellence in innovative and integrative green roof and wall design and raises awareness of the multiple benefits that green infrastructure can provide clients and the general public. The Design Awards were selected by a seven-member, multi-disciplinary judging team that included architects, landscape architects, engineers and horticulturists. Submissions were evaluated on a broad range of weighted criteria including aesthetic, economic, functional and ecological components.
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