A rooftop transformed into a usable green space with raised planters, decking, and seating built to handle wind and sun exposure.
The Challenge
The rooftop was structurally sound but entirely unused — bare membrane exposed to full sun and wind for most of the day, with no soil, no shade, and a strict weight limit set by the building’s engineers that ruled out anything resembling a conventional ground-level garden. The owners wanted a real outdoor living space up there, not just a few pots scattered across open concrete.
The Solution
We began with a structural assessment to confirm exactly how much load the roof could carry, which set the boundaries for everything that followed — lightweight growing media instead of standard soil, and planters and decking chosen specifically for their weight rather than just their appearance. A multi-layer waterproofing and drainage system went down first, protecting the roof membrane before anything else was installed on top of it.
The layout was split into distinct zones — a dining area positioned to catch the evening breeze, a lounge corner with taller planting for a sense of enclosure, and a planted perimeter using wind-tolerant species able to handle the rooftop’s more exposed conditions than a garden at ground level would face.
The Result
What was once bare, unused roof space is now a functioning outdoor room — used for everything from morning coffee to evening entertaining. The planting has adapted well to the rooftop’s wind and sun exposure, and the waterproofing underneath has held up cleanly through multiple seasons, giving the owners a space that’s as durable as it is enjoyable.