GREEN ROOFS AND A VIEW

Situated in the heart of Kendall Square, the LEED Gold certified Watermark West complex is host to residential, commercial, and retail spaces. In April 2014, Recover installed two roof patios on the second and twenty-first floors to provide residents with outdoor recreation and leisure spaces. Recover then returned in 2018 to upgrade a 15,000 square-foot terrace on the second floor into an amenity green roof with a custom outdoor kitchen and a variety of leisure spaces.

In partnership with CBT Architects, Recover designed the twenty-first floor patio to host drought-tolerant ornamental grasses, living walls, a living lawn, a wood tile deck, custom-fabricated planters, and private seating areas separated by vine covered trellises. The updated second floor patio is now home to four Japanese maples, an herb garden, shade trellises with seating, two outdoor exercise areas, and an outdoor kitchen and bar.

The installation of this system required the renovation of four apartment units on the 20th floor which involved the removal of ceilings to install a steel support system necessary to hold the added weight of the roof top terrace, as well as the reconfiguration of the drainage systems to accommodate the new ecosystem above.

Following the successful 2014 remodel, Recover returned to work in 2018 with IBI Placemaking to upgrade the second floor terrace. The new terrace features a custom outdoor kitchen, a large synthetic turf lawn, bar-top seating under a custom-made steel pergola, a sleek media lounge, a light trellis over cafe style seating, and wood privacy pergolas. Each seating area is buffered by planters of flowering and grassy perennials that provide late-season foraging for pollinators, creating comfortable spaces for groups and individuals on the nearly half-acre amenity roof.

Recover installed pavers, decking, synthetic surfaces, precast concrete steps, custom steel pergola and light trellis, steel planters, irrigation, and an outdoor kitchen including concrete countertops, fixtures, grills and cabinetry. The numerous intersecting surfaces and overhead features were carefully designed and executed to create long parallel lines and clean geometric patterns.  

As part of the selective demolition of the previous terrace, Recover salvaged and recycled both inert materials and organic matter, including four mature Redbud trees that are now happily thriving elsewhere.