Carle Foundation Hospital

Key Takeaways:

Existing building with limited structural capacity for additional rooftop weight and high wind uplift potential
Only 6”-deep growth media
Lush oasis for hospital visitors, patients & staff
Biodiverse & vibrant plant palette

This existing rooftop, above a neonatal intensive care unit, has extremely low structural load capacity. Wind uplift requirements, complicated by adjacency to a helicopter pad, also had to be considered. This structure had a narrow band of load capacity between the low structural weight and the high wind resistance required.

Omni Infinity Media’s ultra-lightweight and proven track record with wind uplift analyses was essential to creating this rooftop garden. At 6” deep, Omni Infinity Media weighs 18.3-23.5 pounds per square foot. This depth achieved all the objectives:

under the maximum allowable additional weight on the roof structure,
greater than the minimum wind uplift resistance, and
sufficient depth to provide suitable rooting volume for the landscape design and plant selection.