by Brianna Crandall — October 6, 2014—Ninkasi Brewing Company’s administrative building opened in Eugene, Oregon, this summer, featuring a rooftop garden. A living, planted roof was installed as part of a plan to green the entire facility. The LiveRoof Hybrid Green Roof System was selected for the landscaped roof.
The living roof reduces the total amount of stormwater runoff and filters pollutants that would otherwise be deposited in local streams, lakes, and rivers. Additionally, the green roof will moderate the temperature of runoff water, which minimizes its effect on local aquatic life. The green roof, which incorporates recycled materials, locally sourced plants and soil, and sustainable growing practices, is visible above the front entrance, and from windows throughout the facility.
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities also points out that, besides the public and environmental benefits, green roofs and walls offer many private benefits for the facilities involved, such as aesthetics, energy efficiency, fire retardation, noise reduction and increased marketability for the building.
“We strive to improve the lives of our customers, the residents of our communities, our employees and our business partners,” sad Nikos Ridge, CEO and co-founder of Ninkasi. “Pure, clean water is an essential ingredient to our beer, so it makes sense that we would design our facilities in a way that is sensitive to local waterways. The green roof helped us to achieve this and had the added benefit of a spectacular view for our visitors and staff.”
GreenFeathers, the regional grower for the LiveRoof system, grew and delivered mature flowers and greenery for the rooftop, which was designed by Cameron McCarthy and installed by Rexius. This new brewery is part of a larger growth project for Ninkasi, which includes a new local distribution facility and second brewhouse. All buildings are registered to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified under the new LEED campus platform.
