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AECOM’s Shanghai roof garden changed from an underused, event-oriented terrace into a more employee-led space shaped around everyday use and contact with nature. Its case study shows that planting and participation can alter how people relate to a roof, but that climate, volunteer capacity, and long-term maintenance determine whether those changes endure. The latest project-specific account was published in 2023; it does not establish the garden’s condition in 2026.
How did AECOM’s roof garden change?
The Shanghai project unfolded in stages: an office move and hospitality-style terrace concept in 2016, a modest planting initiative in 2018, and a more flexible, nature-oriented vision in 2021. The changes were not simply a progression toward more greenery. They shifted the intended users and purpose of the space—from occasional corporate events toward employees’ ordinary workdays and opportunities to spend time outdoors.
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The account comes from landscape architects Lee Parks and LIAO Jingjing, writing in a two-part case study for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Part 1 describes the initial terrace and the 2018 initiative; Part 3 discusses the later vision, observed challenges, and lessons. Their observations are a project account, not a controlled evaluation of environmental or employee outcomes.
Why did the original corporate terrace see little outdoor use?
The first design prioritized leadership visits, client receptions, events, and employee socializing. In practice, the terrace did not become a regular destination for most employees: between 2016 and 2018, few corporate events took place outside, and the roof mainly served as a green background to indoor gatherings.
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AECOM moved its Shanghai office to the Knowledge Innovation Community in Yangpu District in June 2016, leasing floors nine through twelve of building 7, including part of the twelfth-floor outdoor terrace. The early concept proposed a bar, barbecue, fire pits, VIP seating, a stage, and a film screen. Some elements were left out for practical or budget reasons. This was an ambitious hospitality program, but it was designed around special occasions rather than the ordinary routines of the people working in the building.
The planting was comparatively limited. Ornamental grasses (Muhlenbergia capillaris) grew in timber seating platforms, while flowering crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) stood in oversized containers around a central lawn. The authors say that extensive hard surfaces and limited planting diversity also constrained the terrace’s potential stormwater and urban-heat benefits. Those are design observations, not measured before-and-after results.
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What changed in the 2018 revitalization?
In spring 2018, landscape practice leader Lee Parks initiated a roof garden effort to diversify the terrace, improve its environmental and visual amenity, and increase social interaction. The stated improvement budget was about RMB 20,000 (about US$2,850), according to the authors. The team added containers, soil, and seasonal plants rather than relying only on the original lawn and fixed planting.
The containers supported several purposes. Some were used for plant trials and internal research on species mixes; others held vegetables and herbs or were intended to benefit pollinators. Employees and leaders took part in building the containers, filling them, planting perennials and grasses, and sowing seeds. The project team described its vision as providing a wider range of environmental and visual amenity, diversifying the terrace’s function, and increasing opportunities for social interaction through a roof garden committee.
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Organization was part of the intervention. A committee and social-media group helped recruit volunteers for maintenance and activities. A social gathering introduced employees to the improvements, and the authors report that families later visited the vegetable garden on weekends. Taken together, these events suggest that visible, hands-on changes and a group responsible for organizing activity gave employees more reasons to use the roof. The case study reports a sequence of events, however, rather than proving that any one measure caused higher use.
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For project teams, the practical lesson is that participation should be considered alongside the physical work. A container garden creates tasks—planting, watering, seasonal care, and organizing access—as well as places to sit or look. A committee can help coordinate those tasks, but it is not a substitute for a clear plan for who maintains the space if volunteer interest changes.
How did the 2021 vision make the roof more nature-oriented?
In 2021, AECOM’s stated direction emphasized amenities, outdoor use, contact with nature, and fresh air. The team introduced movable furniture and quieter, more flexible spaces, added containers and nectar-producing plants, and labeled plants in Latin and Chinese. It also added a garden shed for tools and a composting facility for garden waste, which the authors say was intended to support habitat for decomposer insects.
These choices addressed different parts of the experience. Movable furniture made the layout more adaptable; quieter areas offered an alternative to event-style gathering; labels made the planting legible to visitors; and storage and composting supported routine garden activities. The case study documents these interventions, but does not report how often each feature was used or measure its separate effect.
AECOM also participated in a Community Garden Festival and opened the roof to visitors, including Tongji University Professor Liu Yuelai. The authors report that geckos and birds were observed during 2021 and early 2022. These sightings indicate that wildlife was seen at the site, but they are not a quantified biodiversity assessment and cannot establish a change in species abundance or habitat quality.
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What does the project teach about building a roof garden?
The case points to four linked decisions: who the garden serves, what functions it must support, how well its planting and furnishings fit the site, and who will maintain them over time. A design that resolves only the initial installation can leave a roof looking complete while its intended social or ecological functions weaken.
Design for regular users, not only special events
The initial terrace was planned around VIP visits, receptions, and events, while the later work sought to make the space more useful in everyday life. For a workplace roof, that shift means asking how employees might spend time outside between scheduled events, what quieter or more flexible areas they need, and whether the planting is part of an experience rather than a backdrop. The AECOM account identifies the mismatch between the initial aspirations and daily users as a central lesson, not a universal rule against event space.
Make ecological intent visible, but be precise about outcomes
Containers, seasonal planting, nectar-producing plants, plant labels, and composting were documented parts of the project. They made the garden’s planting and care more visible to participants. The authors also report bird and gecko sightings, but provide no quantified assessment of biodiversity, stormwater reduction, or urban-heat reduction. A project description should therefore distinguish an ecological goal, a design feature, and a measured result instead of treating them as interchangeable.
Plan for the site’s weather and exposure
The authors identify Shanghai’s hot summers, cold winters, heatwaves, drought, typhoons, and flash flooding as ongoing challenges. Those conditions affected the prospects for planting and the durability of exposed furniture and timber. They recommend choosing plants—native or non-native—that are ecologically suited to harsh site conditions. The account does not prescribe a species list or provide technical specifications for the later garden, so it should not be read as a planting or construction standard.
Budget for care, repair, and replacement—not just installation
The 2018 improvements had a stated budget of about RMB 20,000, but the authors’ broader recommendation is to consider the whole project lifecycle, from design through management and long-term maintenance. Plants need care through difficult seasons; outdoor furnishings and timber can require repair or replacement; and volunteer leadership may be hard to sustain. An installation budget alone does not show whether these recurring needs are funded.
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The authors describe the garden, after about seven years, as seeming to return every two to three years toward a pre-designed state with hardy, drought-tolerant plants. They also say employee use of outdoor space was concentrated in spring and autumn. These are the authors’ characterizations of the project, not a time-series measurement or a guarantee of what happens at other roof gardens.
When is a lower-intervention approach the better choice?
If a project cannot commit to sustained maintenance, the authors recommend a lower-intervention ecological approach rather than creating a garden dependent on ongoing volunteer labor and intensive care. That recommendation does not mean leaving a roof unmanaged; it means matching the design ambition to the people, budget, and conditions available to support it.
In practice, the decision is about alignment. A highly social garden with seasonal vegetables, movable furniture, and frequent activities may offer a rich experience, but it also creates recurring work. A more resilient, lower-intervention planting strategy may be a better fit where resources are limited. The case study supports these as competing priorities, not as a controlled comparison proving one approach superior.
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The ASLA articles do not provide quantified before-and-after measurements of employee use, biodiversity, stormwater performance, or urban-heat reduction. They report design intentions, project activities, participant involvement, wildlife sightings, and the authors’ observations about maintenance and use. Readers should treat these as a documented case history, not as proof that a particular planting or program will deliver a specific environmental result elsewhere.
There is also an important distinction between general green-roof context and the specifications of the later garden. Part 1 describes extensive green roofs as lightweight systems with shallow growing media, typically less than 80 mm, and notes that vegetated areas absorb rainwater while permeable gravel paths provide access and help manage stormwater. That figure is general context in the article; it is not a reported measurement of the later garden’s growing-media depth.
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Finally, the latest project-specific account in the supplied sources is Part 3, published June 1, 2023. It does not confirm the roof’s condition, use, staffing, or maintenance arrangements in 2026. The strongest conclusion is therefore about the authors’ documented design evolution and lessons—not the garden’s present-day status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a corporate roof garden support employees’ families as well as staff?
In the AECOM account, the authors say families later visited the vegetable garden on weekends after the 2018 improvements. That is a reported example of broader participation, not evidence that the roof was generally open to the public or that every corporate garden should allow family access.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDoes seeing birds and geckos prove a roof garden increased biodiversity?
No. The authors reported bird and gecko sightings in 2021 and early 2022, but the articles do not give a quantified biodiversity survey or a comparable baseline. Sightings are evidence that wildlife was observed, not a measurement of biodiversity change.
Why does the 80 mm growing-media figure not describe the AECOM garden?
The figure appears in Part 1 as a typical depth for extensive green-roof systems, alongside general notes about lightweight construction and drought-tolerant plants. The authors do not state that the later garden had 80 mm or less of growing media.
Is there a current update on the Shanghai roof garden?
The latest project-specific account identified here was published by ASLA on June 1, 2023. It does not verify the garden’s condition or activity in 2026, so current maintenance, access, and planting should not be inferred from the case study.
