Boston, MA
Higher Ground Farm, Boston Design Center
Scope/Solutions
Located on Boston Design Center’s roof, Higher Ground Farm is an urban garden offering a variety of local produce to the Seaport District neighborhood. SGH evaluated the existing roof structure to determine its adequacy to support the 14,000 sq ft rooftop farm.
SGH analyzed the existing roof structure and determined the structure could adequately support the proposed garden. As part of our evaluation, we considered the effects of different growing seasons and the impact of seasonal loads, such as snow.
Working closely with our client and the contractor, SGH helped develop a layout and set parameters that they could implement to safely construct and operate their farm. Highlights of our layout design include the following:
- Locating planting beds to avoid damming or blocking roof drains
- Establishing a planting arrangement to fit within the capacity of the existing roof
- Strategically placing planting beds based on their weight to maximize the usable rooftop space
Photo courtesy of Recover Green Roofs, LLC
Photo courtesy of Recover Green Roofs, LLC
Photo courtesy of Recover Green Roofs, LLC
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Project Summary
2013
Completion Date
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures | Code Consulting
Markets
Culture & Entertainment
Specialized Capabilities
Risk & Resilience Assessment
Key team members
Greggrey Cohen
Structural Repair and Rehabilitation Division Head, Boston
Additional Projects
Northeast
2013 Design Biennial Boston, BSA Space, Helix Stair
Envisioned and developed by Matter Design for the third Design Biennial Boston, Helix is a half-scale, unreinforced, custom-fabricated, concrete spiral staircase. SGH collaborated with Matter Design on material analysis, structural design and detailing, casting and curing, and erection at BSA Space.
Northeast
Athol Public Library
SGH was the building enclosure commissioning agent for the Athol Public Library, which earned the first-ever LEED platinum certification for a historic public library.