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.

Location:
Urbana, IL
Installation Complete:
2022
Type:
- Existing Building
- Healthcare
Coverage Area:
4,215 sf
Depth:
6”
Stormwater Storage:
>1,685 cf
Uses:
- Intensive Green Roof
- Planters
Architect:
Shepley Bulfinch
General Contractor:
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.
Landscape Architect:
Greenprint Partners
Awards:
- ‍ILASLA Merit Award, General Design - Constructed, 2024
- Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Award of Excellence, 2023‍
News:

See how Will’s Garden at Carle Foundation Hospital took shape—from 13 months of construction to just two weeks of landscape installation. Built on an existing roof with very limited structural capacity and demanding wind-uplift requirements, the project used just 6 inches of Omni Infinity Media to create a lush, biodiverse rooftop garden.

13 Months to a Green Roof

How do you build a substantial rooftop garden on a structure with very little additional load capacity?
Follow the construction of the intensive green roof from re-roofing through completion and see what it takes to create a lush healing garden above a functioning hospital.

2 Weeks to a Green Roof

How can 6 inches of lightweight media support a diverse landscape?
See how an intensive green roof comes together — from bare media to planted landscape — in just two weeks.