Boston Medical Center Newmarket Farm
Boston, MA USA
7,300 sf Greenroof
(Video)

Greenroofs.com Featured Project November 4, 2024

Boston Medical Center Rooftop Farm, Photo Credit: Danielle Robertson Photography

The Newmarket Farm at Boston Medical Center (BMC) is the second one from BMC that we’ve showcased as being a special and important rooftop farm. Food security with urban ag increases with every project.

The folks at Recover Green Roofs have been doing a fantastic job of design and installation, and another of their fortes is the ability to collaborate so well with others! Recover and Higher Ground Farm make a great team.

BMC Newmarket Farm overhead drone shot. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

With awesome drone video and beautiful images by Danielle Robertson Photography, this Featured Project really shines as an example of local leadership! The City of Boston, and specifically its GrowBoston program from the City’s Office of Urban Agriculture, is making a real difference in the fight to strengthen at-risk local food systems. Along with varied partnerships with other community organizations like Boston Area Gleaners, the fresh crops are distributed to local non-profits and community centers.

Boston Medical Center, already one of the greenest hospitals in the nation, advances the health care system’s commitment to sustainability with its two farms. The Newmarket Farm triples the total grow space at BMC and is expected to quadruple the amount of produce grown annually. Kudos to all!

BMC Newmarket Farm with BMC farmers managing it. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

Excerpt from Greenroofs.com Project Profile:

Boston Medical Center (or BMC) is an equity-led academic medical center that delivers a model of healthcare where innovative and equitable care empowers all patients to thrive. In June 2024, Recover Green Roofs celebrated the opening of Newmarket Farm at Boston Medical Center and its 7300 square foot rooftop farm with wheelchair accessible green space.

With raised beds, a pollinator garden, plus an outdoor classroom, the design process highlights a critical collaboration between BMC, Recover Green Roofs, and Higher Ground Farm.

Image: BMC Facebook page

Marking Recover’s second design and installation on BMC’s campus following the initial Boston Medical Center Power Plant Farm, both sites collectively forge new community partners and enhance access to fresh foods. A portion of each harvest is donated to several South End nonprofits, including Rosie’s Place.

In 2022, Mayor Wu established GrowBoston to promote urban agriculture and food production, deploying funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. GrowBoston provided $300,000 to support the expansion.

Image: Recover Green Roofs

Image: BMC Facebook page

The Newmarket Farm features a unique green roof media blend developed by Ben Flanner of Brooklyn Grange and Chuck Duprey at Naturcycle. They used a locally manufactured version of the innovative blend developed for the Javits Center Expansion Rooftop & Farm, optimized for deep growing crops, long term performance and water management.

The growing media depth ranges from 19″-23″ and large growing beds with a granular drainage base retain tens of thousands of gallons of rainwater throughout the year, reducing the need for irrigation. A high-tech custom drip irrigation system supplements regional rainfall.

BMC Newmarket Farm. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

More

Managed by Sarah Hastings, BMC’s Rooftop Farmer, and Higher Ground Farm, the farm adds valuable green space to the Newmarket District, addresses food insecurity, and offers culturally relevant fresh foods. Cultivating hard-to-find produce, they grow aji dulce, Malabar spinach, Callaloo greens, bok choy, napa cabbage, cranberry beans, and Japanese turnips, among others. Because of its location overlooking the Boston skyline, Newmarket Farm also optimizes sun-loving fruit, including tomatoes, and flowers that attract pollinators.

A covered seating area provides education and outreach classes to students from Boston Public Schools, members of local community organizations, and staff and patients to get hands-on training on hyperlocal vegetable gardening. Plus, both BMC rooftop farms serve as a model for other hospitals, understanding that the local environment is intrinsic to supporting the overall health and wellbeing in our communities.

Leafy greens on the BMC Newmarket Farm. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

Year: 2024
Owner: Boston Medical Center
Location: Boston, MA USA
Building Type: Healthcare, Educational, Rooftop Farm
Type: Intensive Greenroof
System: Custom
Size: 7,300 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Private by Appointment

Installation of the growing media. Image: Chuck Duprey of Naturcycle

Tomatoes on the BMC Newmarket Farm. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

Credits:

Green Roof Designer:
Recover Green Roofs & Higher Ground Farm

Green Roof Installer:
Recover Green Roofs

Irrigation Installer:
Recover Green Roofs

BMC Rooftop Farmer:
Sarah Hastings

Farm Management:
Higher Ground Farm

Growing Media Supplier:
Naturcycle, LLC

Growing Media Supplier & Seed Stock Supplier:
Omni Ecosystems

Green Roof Components:
Conservation Technology, Omni Ecosystems

Hardscape:
Bison Innovative Products

Additional Hardscape:
Hanover Architectural Products

Structural Engineer:
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

Original Architect, circa 1951:
Henschen, Everds & Crombie Architects & Engineers

Overhead drone shot of BMC Newmarket Farm with BMC farmers and Recover Green Roofs. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

See the Project Profile

See the Boston Medical Center Newmarket Farm project profile to view ALL of the Photos and Additional Information about this particular project in the Greenroofs.com Projects Database.

BMC Newmarket Farm with BMC farmers with Recover Green Roofs. Image: Danielle Robertson Photography via Recover Green Roofs

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By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Sky Gardens Studio Principal