Dottie's Roof Garden

Residential | 2022 | Brookline, MA

Schematic design for a residential roof terrace balancing productive gardens, gathering space, and privacy for a gallery owner, his wife, and their dog. The design navigates existing roof infrastructure while establishing phased implementation—prioritizing high-impact improvements that can be relocated when the membrane roof requires future replacement.

Screening strategies vary by exposure: robust west-facing privacy and softer east-facing threshold using round planters with dwarf fruit trees and berries. The eastern planters incorporate inkberry, gaura, and grasses to create a porous, modernist living screen that delineates shared space with neighbors without feeling exclusionary. Flexible lounge seating pairs with wood tables for entertaining.

The material palette references the building's history as a former vehicle service shop while honoring the client's modernist aesthetic. Detailed specifications guide material and furnishing sourcing. Plant selection addresses structural load, drainage requirements, and rooftop exposure.