A site for education and inspiration nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The five-story Apodaca Science Building at WCU boasts state-of-the-art science labs and classrooms and a green rooftop terrace supporting trees, shrubs, flowering perennials, and grasses native to Western North Carolina.
Overview
The roof was a complete custom build from drainage layers to pavers and mounding topography. It now serves as a classroom, meeting space, and oasis for students, staff, and wildlife with an incredible view of the surrounding mountains.
Location: Cullowhee, NC
Completion Date: 2021
Size: 13,400 sqft
Services Provided: Construction, Care & Maintenance
Green Roof System: Custom Build up
Paver System: Wausau Architectural Paver, Hanover Elevated Paver on Pedestal
Irrigation: Hunter
Tree Anchor System: Platipus
Architect: Lord Aeck Sargent, LS3P
General Contractor: Skanska USA Building, Inc
Roofing Contractor: Nations Roof
What’s in the build?
Our services in action
Construction x
Apodaca Science Building
Simplifying Complexities
Amenity terrace projects require the unique combination of attributes of a roofer, landscaper, and craftsperson. We leverage our cross-disciplinary expertise to simplify these inherently complex spaces for our clients. On the Apodaca Science Building alone, our construction team protected the roof membrane, hoisted bulk materials, fabricated custom edging, crafted rolling landscape topography with geofoam, installed concrete pavers, sourced plants, and designed a multi zone subsurface drip irrigation system.
.jpg)
Care & Maintenance x
Apodaca Science Building
Gardening on structure
The high visibility and use of the terrace require the Care & Maintenance team to have a keen eye and attention to detail. As the plants adapt and grow, some species lose their impact or need help to meet their potential due to challenging microclimates and high foot traffic. The Care & Maintenance team has the design eye to identify problems early- whether irrigation adjustments or plant substitutions - to keep things flourishing and working efficiently.
1000.jpeg)
1000.jpeg)
