Growing Pride on a Roof Top at Velocity Apartment Community, Kirkland

To Imagine Housing, ‘”Velocity” isn’t just a trendy name for their new apartment community but an embodiment of the concept of moving forward. Velocity, and its neighbor Kirkland Crossing developed by Polygon NW, are located at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, just blocks from Lake Washington Boulevard.  The new community was designed with the residents and environment in mind by using technology to incorporate interaction, health and sustainability.

“Our vision for Velocity was to create a living, moving community for the area’s low income families to take an active role in their health as well as community sustainability,” said Sibyl Glasby, Director of Housing Development for Imagine Housing.  “The living green roof is a sustainable green feature that also provides a beautiful outdoor space for our residents.

Imagine Housing chose the LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System for their 6,140-square foot living garden that includes walking paths, seating and a gas BBQ.  The vegetative roof provides significant benefits to the environment including reducing water run-off and turbidity into the storm water system.   The green roof was designed by Fazio Associates Landscape Architect and installed by Greening America.  Using drought-tolerant native and adaptive plants and locally-sourced engineered soil, the modular living roof was grown to full maturity by GreenFeathers, Inc. of Cornelius, OR.

Green Roofs Enhance Living Space

“We are pleased to have participated in this important housing community,” said Grace Dinsdale, founder and president, Blooming Nursery and GreenFeathers. “We provided fully-mature native plants grown in locally-sourced engineered soil for the Velocity living roof. Not only did this provide a beautiful, lush garden for residents to enjoy immediately, it also contributes to the sustainability of Velocity’s site.”

Velocity offers onsite parking, ready access to transportation, bicycle storage and repair station, a vibrant community area/library with a coffee house feel, a fully-equipped exercise center, and a roof top garden with walking paths, seating and a gas barbeque. A rooftop community room hosts a variety of activities and services designed to enhance our residents’ lives and promote opportunity for engagement within the community.

Velocity meets Evergreen standards for energy efficiency, saving valuable resources and contributing to a clean planet. The homes have been built with both the residents and sustainability in mind, achieving a balance between modern finishes and long-term durability with environmentally friendly materials.  The housing development was designed according to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) standards.   LiveRoof systems can influence several LEED credits in areas of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.  Due to potential cost impacts, the project did not pursue LEED accreditation.

Velocity is located at 10711 NE 37th Court, Kirkland, WA 98033