Green roof. Vegetative roof. Eco roof. Living roof. Call it what you want. When dreaming up offices for the new Inside Out Design, LLC offices, a green roof was inspired by an introduction to the green roof at Bernheim in Louisville. Being in the green industry and being committed to sustainability, we knew the green roof was the only way to go and had to be part of the new office plan. Vegetative roofs are environmentally beneficial in many ways, such as providing additional insulation, reducing water runoff, creating wildlife habitat, and reducing the heat island effect.

Even though the roof area is small, diversity was the goal. There are several different species of delosperma, sedum, dianthus, and allium. Most are standard green roof species, though some are known to work better for the green roof application, such as the sedum and allium. Some others were more experimentation for the roof. The design included masses of plants together, but also sprinkled throughout the entire roof again and again to create a cohesive, yet diverse design.