EPA Green Roof Pavilions
Ariel Rios Building, Washington DC

Architecture

Two vegetated planes curve up out of the ground as though peeled away from the earth to provide shelter and delight for employees of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Like two hands cupped together, these sculptural forms respond to the geometry of the existing historic courtyard and frame a view to the fountain from an enclosed spiral stair. These pavilions were designed as part of the “Greening the EPA - Low Impact Development” intitiative to demonstrate the latest vegetated roof technologies. They display “green” roofs as a strategy to manage stormwater on site at the EPA headquarters while providing visual interest in the tight urban courtyard.