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LiveRoof Selected for Green Roof on Biomedical Discovery District Facility at the University of Minnesota
Bachman’s, Regional Distributor and Grower for LiveRoof, to Cultivate the Plants for the 27,000-Square-Foot Green Roof Project
Minneapolis, Minn. and Spring Lake, Mich. —— LiveRoof, LLC (Spring Lake, Mich.), top horticultural experts in the green roof industry and manufacturer of the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System, and Bachman’s (Minneapolis, Minn.), a family-owned wholesale and retail nursery that serves as a LiveRoof regional distributor and grower, announced the selection of the LiveRoof system for a 27,000-square-foot green roof at the University of Minnesota. The LiveRoof green roof will be installed atop the Phase 2 building of the University’s Biomedical Discovery District.
The Biomedical Discovery District is a complex of research buildings on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. It brings together more than 1,200 scientists and researchers from across the Academic Health Center to team up in state-of-the-art facilities to achieve breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of today’s most devastating health conditions. Phase 2 will include research space devoted to cancer and heart disease. The LiveRoof green roof, with locally grown plants from Bachman’s, will be installed this summer.
With little space for stormwater mitigation features at ground level, a green roof is necessary to moderate the volume and velocity of run-off. In addition, the green roof will offer a pleasant and inspiring view of green space from the offices. The District buildings will connect to the green roof, which will provide a rooftop terrace and garden as a gathering space for conversation and collaboration among the researchers.
“Featuring a green roof on the Biomedical Discovery District demonstrates the University of Minnesota’s commitment to sustainability,” said Kathleen O’Brien, vice president of university services, University of Minnesota. “As a key architectural feature it is also part of ensuring that the Biomedical Discovery District offers state-of-the-art facilities that attract and support leading researchers in the health sciences.”
“We are providing pre-installation consultation to ensure appropriate plant selection for the aesthetic goals of the project and the micro-climate conditions of the rooftop,” said Dale Bachman, chief executive officer, Bachman’s. “When we deliver LiveRoof for installation, the system’s modules will be fully vegetated with mature, full-grown plants that we have adapted for green roofs in our part of the country and cultivated right here in Minnesota.”
“The plan for the Biomedical Discovery District features a combination of LiveRoof 4.25-inch, six-inch and eight-inch deep modules,” said Dave MacKenzie, horticulturalist and president, LiveRoof, LLC. “That enables the green roof’s unique design to be expressed with a distinctive and varied plant mix, including taller and more dramatic plants, such as drought-tolerant grasses, and native and adapted non-native perennials.”
About Bachman’s
Bachman’s has been in business since 1885, when founder Henry Bachman, Sr. first planted vegetables on a plot of land in south Minneapolis. Today, that plot contains the firm's headquarters, with acres of floral, gift, garden, and landscaping departments. Bachman's has grown to 29 retail locations in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, Minn., including six full-service Floral, Gift and Garden Centers. Bachman's Nursery Wholesale Center has serviced the garden center, nursery and landscape industries since 1984. The Wholesale Center, located on a 629-acre growing range in Farmington, Minn., produces many of the plants, flowers and landscaping products sold at Bachman’s today. Bachman’s is the licensed regional grower and distributor of the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System in Minnesota and portions of Wisconsin and North and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.bachmans.com and www.bachmanswholesale.com.
About LiveRoof
The top horticultural experts in the industry, LiveRoof®, LLC (www.liveroof.com) is the only green roof company that develops plants for variety, beauty, and the ability to thrive on the roof. And every project is backed by LiveRoof’s team of dedicated, knowledgeable professionals. Exceptional in design and function, the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System is the most refined horticultural solution. LiveRoof establishes a healthy, sustainable ecosystem that covers the rooftop with seamless vegetation. Licensed regional growers customize plant selection for every LiveRoof project. They deliver the system’s modules abundantly vegetated with locally cultivated, full-grown plants for an instant green roof and trouble-free ownership. LiveRoof’s natural function and natural beauty offer the highest level of green roof performance with ultra-low maintenance costs. The proof is on the roof — showcased in over 600 installations that total more than two million square feet.
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