6 Australian Dwellings That Have Gone Green on Top
These suburban and city rooftops support living vegetation, improving a building's performance
We don’t often think about the potential environmental, economic, social, or even personal benefits a roof can provide – after all, it’s a structural component we usually see from below, so out of sight, out of mind, right? Well, not always. Rooftops can play an important role in contributing to the sustainability of a house and the greening of a city or suburb.
A green roof is a roof surface – be it flat or pitched – that is planted partially or completely with vegetation in a soil-covered waterproof membrane. Also known as ‘living’ roofs, green roofs improve a building’s performance. Additionally, they absorb and redirect rainwater, provide insulation, create a habitat for wildlife, provide a more aesthetically pleasing landscape, and help to lower urban air temperatures. What’s to lose, really?
Here are six Australian rooftops that will turn you green with envy.
A green roof is a roof surface – be it flat or pitched – that is planted partially or completely with vegetation in a soil-covered waterproof membrane. Also known as ‘living’ roofs, green roofs improve a building’s performance. Additionally, they absorb and redirect rainwater, provide insulation, create a habitat for wildlife, provide a more aesthetically pleasing landscape, and help to lower urban air temperatures. What’s to lose, really?
Here are six Australian rooftops that will turn you green with envy.
Apart from beautifying the neighbourhood, Fuscaldo’s green roof provides insulation and thermal regulation to the internal spaces of the home. It negates any need for air-conditioning during summer (reducing average interior temperatures by about five degrees on a hot day) and dramatically decreasing winter gas bills (by 27 per cent) as the plants also insulate against the cold. Additionally, the thick layer of soil and vegetation reduces urban heat radiation.
See more of this house
See more of this house
2. INDIGENOUS PLANT COVERING
‘Scruburbia’, Adelaide
Salt Studio Architecture looked to the past and the future for this small-scale, sustainable urban renewal project. They recovered century-old artefacts during the redevelopment of the property, while also seeking to design and build a house that contributes to a greener future. To do this, they covered the building with indigenous plants to evoke pre-European settlement.
‘Scruburbia’, Adelaide
Salt Studio Architecture looked to the past and the future for this small-scale, sustainable urban renewal project. They recovered century-old artefacts during the redevelopment of the property, while also seeking to design and build a house that contributes to a greener future. To do this, they covered the building with indigenous plants to evoke pre-European settlement.
The full-cover green roof is constructed over a standard steel deck supported on a timber structure. This helps to control storm water runoff and curb air pollution. It also assists in reducing the impacts of increased temperatures, intense rainfall, habitat loss and increased energy use in cities. Plus, the green roof stores water run-off via a ‘rain garden’ system, which helps to keep rainwater on site and productive.
View more homes of eco-conscious Australians
View more homes of eco-conscious Australians
3. PLANTER BOX ROOF GARDEN
Castlecrag, Sydney
The renovation and extension of this Castlecrag house by Rudolf Alliker Associates Architects sees a planted area serve as both rooftop and elevated terrace garden. Extending into the garden over a glass living pavilion, the flat surface over the extension is a planted green roof which doubles as a garden extending from the second-level bedroom.
Castlecrag, Sydney
The renovation and extension of this Castlecrag house by Rudolf Alliker Associates Architects sees a planted area serve as both rooftop and elevated terrace garden. Extending into the garden over a glass living pavilion, the flat surface over the extension is a planted green roof which doubles as a garden extending from the second-level bedroom.
The green roof has been created with a planter box formed from a long, thick concrete beam. It minimises glare and light reflection, enhances the view from above, and blurs the boundaries between the house and its surroundings. Inside, the house still feels light as the roof appears to float above clerestory windows.
4. GREEN ROOF TRAYS
Seemann Rush Architects’ Office, Sydney
A building that houses a shared working space in a Sydney backyard serves as the architectural office of Seemann Rush Architects. They have a green roof over both the office (pictured) and living room (not pictured), which they built themselves by laying trays directly on the metal roof decking.
Seemann Rush Architects’ Office, Sydney
A building that houses a shared working space in a Sydney backyard serves as the architectural office of Seemann Rush Architects. They have a green roof over both the office (pictured) and living room (not pictured), which they built themselves by laying trays directly on the metal roof decking.
The office roof, with a seven-degree pitch, had rafters that were calculated to hold 200 millimetres of soil. The green roof was then assembled from standard roofing products. A high-profile metal roof decking laid across the roof had the ends turned up, to create water retention trays. Meanwhile, 75-millimetre top-hat channels, which were laid on the roof, created a gap between the metal roof and the green roof tray. Peter and Heidi used 200 millimetres of top soil preserved from the construction of the office, and planted it with various drought-resistant flora.
The living room roof, with a three degree pitch, was not originally structured to take a green roof. Consequently, this green roof tray has only 50 millimetres of soil planted with mostly succulents.
The living room roof, with a three degree pitch, was not originally structured to take a green roof. Consequently, this green roof tray has only 50 millimetres of soil planted with mostly succulents.
5. ROOFTOP PARKLAND
M Central, Sydney
The redevelopment of the Goldsborough Mort heritage-listed Pitt, Son & Badgery building in Pyrmont, Sydney saw the building’s concrete carpark transformed into a rooftop park. The 3,000-square-metre rooftop ‘parkland’ is now a vibrant communal recreation space for what has become a residential apartment building.
M Central, Sydney
The redevelopment of the Goldsborough Mort heritage-listed Pitt, Son & Badgery building in Pyrmont, Sydney saw the building’s concrete carpark transformed into a rooftop park. The 3,000-square-metre rooftop ‘parkland’ is now a vibrant communal recreation space for what has become a residential apartment building.
The low-watering rooftop parkland, designed for both beauty and recreation, has expansive native grasslands as well as mature trees for a sense of height and scale. These include tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), frangipani (Plumeira rubra) and dragon trees (Dracaena draco).
Other key design elements include a ‘floating’ timber deck that leads to private and communal spaces, secret lawns, a children’s soft-fall play area, barbecue facilities, and an entertaining area. Flowering climbers, a painted landscape, terracotta mulches, a granite water feature, and an ornamental pond add to the beauty of this rooftop parkland.
Other key design elements include a ‘floating’ timber deck that leads to private and communal spaces, secret lawns, a children’s soft-fall play area, barbecue facilities, and an entertaining area. Flowering climbers, a painted landscape, terracotta mulches, a granite water feature, and an ornamental pond add to the beauty of this rooftop parkland.
6. ALL-ENCOMPASSING GARDEN
‘Relativity’, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
Inspired by Dutch artist M.C. Escher’s work ‘Relativity’, this garden defies the normal laws of spatial logic with a maze of green roofs and vertical gardens. Landscape architects JDL Design broke from the traditional horizontal garden plane to explore something vertical and elevated, creating an all-encompassing environment of lush foliage and natural materials.
‘Relativity’, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
Inspired by Dutch artist M.C. Escher’s work ‘Relativity’, this garden defies the normal laws of spatial logic with a maze of green roofs and vertical gardens. Landscape architects JDL Design broke from the traditional horizontal garden plane to explore something vertical and elevated, creating an all-encompassing environment of lush foliage and natural materials.
BENEFITS OF A GREEN ROOF
The benefits of a green roof can be environmental, economic and social. Some of these include:
The benefits of a green roof can be environmental, economic and social. Some of these include:
- Extending roof life by protecting the waterproofing layer from weather and temperature changes
- Improved sound insulation
- Reduced heating and cooling requirements
- Reduced and slowed stormwater run-off
- Cooling city temperatures and alleviating the heat of urban radiation
- Increased biodiversity
- Improved air quality
- Beautifying buildings and the cityscape
- Supporting our physical and mental health
CONSIDERING A GREEN ROOF
If you’re looking to install an extensive green roof, speak with your engineer, contact your local government body for regulations, and take the following advice from Emilio Fuscaldo at Nest Architects on board:
If you’re looking to install an extensive green roof, speak with your engineer, contact your local government body for regulations, and take the following advice from Emilio Fuscaldo at Nest Architects on board:
- Don’t be deterred by the cost. You’ll save on energy bills over time.
- Avoid weeds by selecting plants that grow quickly and grow together to cover up patches of exposed dirt.
- Research your waterproof membrane and drainage cells to ensure they are UV tolerant and perform well over the long term.
- Consider drainage and how water will quickly be directed off the roof.
- Most importantly, consider the weight of the soil and the plants. Your engineer must allow for the total weight of saturated (wet) soil, plus full-grown plants. The heavier they get, the stronger your roof structure needs to be.
TELL US
Do you have a green rooftop? Tell us about it or share a photo in the Comments!
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Do you have a green rooftop? Tell us about it or share a photo in the Comments!
MORE
Understanding Flat Roof Construction
Rooms in the Sky: Design Your Very Own Rooftop Escape
Stickybeak of the Week: Manhattan Rooftop Becomes Sky-High Oasis
Florence Street House, Melbourne
Nest Architects’ Emilio Fuscaldo built a sustainable house from top to bottom with a green roof sitting atop his compact inner-city house. Emilio questioned why he would build a house with high-performance floors, walls and windows, but ignore the roof. So after some preliminary research and frank discussions with an engineer, his green roof got the green light.
He planted succulents that require little to no watering around the perimeter, with a local drought-tolerant buffalo grass known as Sir Walter providing a flat area in the centre for relaxing. A watering system installed under the plants proved to be unnecessary, as these types of plants can tolerate the wind, sun, inconsistent rain and a somewhat thin soil profile (200 millimetres thick) and still thrive.