Carroll Gordon was the Landscape Architect responsible for construction plans for the planting of the roof over the parking lot for the Richard J. Hughes Justice building.  The previous plantings had died after the irrigation system was compromised.  The roof was leaking rainwater into the parking garage below for years, damaging the structure and decks.  The roof deck had to be completely rebuilt so any landscape features or planting had to be removed.  The only features to be replaced were the pavers near the cafeteria, the nursery school safety surface, play equipment, fencing and the walkway for emergency egress, with lighting. 

The challenge was the soil, which was not to be removed from the roof because of economic considerations.  The previous design had a thin layer of soil over a deep aggregate drainage layer.  This was intermingled during construction, creating an unhealthy mixture for growing lawn.  Soil testing and remediation was necessary to get anything to grow.  The specifications anticipated this and were developed to correct the soil condition and suitability to promote lawn growth.