Gardens and outdoor spaces play an important part in senior living architecture and design but what happens when there is no room to create a garden in an urban setting? In Chicago, you head to the roof. Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley has been supporting Chicago’s ‘green’ movement for many years and the city prides itself on the use of its rooftops to promote environmentally friendly design. Following in that frame of mind, Greenview Place, a senior living project in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, created an 8,400-square-foot rooftop terrace, a spacious courtyard, sidewalk gardens plus a 9,000 square-foot green roof.
The project’s green roof hold rainwater to prevent overcharging city sewer systems and helps absorb sunlight and provides insulation and cooling . Of equal importance, the green roof areas offer a beautiful stepback to the dwelling and common area windows. Worn Jerabek PC architects, the firm that designed Mayor Daley’s green roof at City Hall, is proud of this green initiative, created in partnership with The Renaissance Companies. Greenview Place, completed in February 2010, offers over 100 studio and one-bedroom apartment homes.
