Green-tree Intensive Roof Garden Substrate Supports Major Rooftop and Podium Development in Trafford

Client: Glenbrook Property

Main Contractor: Domis Construction

Landscape Contractor: Wright Landscapes

Products Supplied: Green-tree Intensive Roof Garden Substrate

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Lumina Village is a major Build-to-Rent regeneration development in Trafford, Manchester, forming part of a wider 120-acre civic quarter regeneration masterplan, delivering approximately 4,000 homes alongside commercial space, infrastructure, and an enhanced public realm.

The Podium phase is a key part of this regeneration and comprises a 440-home Build-to-Rent development, including apartments and townhouses, with extensive podium landscaping, a half-acre rooftop garden for residents, and 5.4 acres of public realm.

GREEN-TECH INVOLVEMENT AND PRODUCTS SUPPLIED

Green-tech supported Wright Landscapes with the supply of 350m³ of Green-tree Intensive Roof Garden substrate for the podium and roof level landscape construction.

The roof and podium structures required a specialist growing medium that would meet strict technical criteria, including:

1. Reduced load to comply with structural loading limits

2. Consistent drainage performance for roof build-ups

3. Long-term plant health and rooting stability

4. Suitability for intensive and semi-intensive roof planting systems

5. Compliance with the approved landscape specification and design intent

Wright Landscapes appointed their own independent soil scientist to test and verify the suitability of the Green-tree Intensive Roof Garden substrate supplied for the project. The material was assessed and confirmed as suitable for intensive roof garden application, meeting the requirements of the project specification.

This verification process included assessment of the substrate composition against the project specification, focusing on particle structure, organic matter content and overall stability. Drainage and water-retention characteristics were evaluated to ensure performance under roof-garden conditions and to confirm suitability for the proposed planting palette and establishment strategy. Following this process, technical approval was provided prior to supply and installation.

Green-tech supplied a specialist lightweight, intensive roof garden substrate designed for high-level landscape applications where weight-loading constraints, drainage performance, and long-term plant establishment are critical. The material was delivered in dumpy bags and craned directly into position at the podium and roof garden level, in line with site constraints and installation sequencing requirements.

IMPACT AND OUTCOME

The completed roof and podium landscapes at Lumina Village now provide high-quality external amenity space for residents, enhancing biodiversity, visual amenity and the usability of outdoor environments within the development.

The collaboration ensured a specification-compliant, intensive roof-substrate solution, efficient installation at height with controlled logistics, and the successful establishment of conditions for rooftop planting systems.

Joe Jeavons, Group Marketing Manager for Domis Construction, comments, “Completing Lumina Village is a significant achievement for everyone involved in delivering the scheme. As one of Trafford’s most ambitious developments, we are proud to have delivered this project alongside Glenbrook Property and to see it now forming a lasting part of Trafford’s regeneration. The commitment shown throughout has been exceptional, and the collaboration, technical expertise and reliable supply chain support have all played an important role in the successful delivery of the podium and roof landscape elements.”