Burnley Living Roofs

Project Description

The Burnley Living Roofs is a world-class green roof research and education facility – the first of its kind in Australia.

Designed alongside The University of Melbourne’s leading academic researches in the fields of green roofs and urban horticulture, the Burnley Living Roofs provide purpose-built facilities for the University to continue pioneering research in green infrastructure. 

The Demonstration Roof is an advocacy and teaching tool – putting the Faculty’s knowledge on display to the illustrate to students and the broader community what is possible in different soil profiles on green roofs. The roof adjoins a new flexible event space, allowing the research team to centre their social as well as host functions for a broader audience. The Research Roof consists of a series of trials beds, with built in and flexible instrumentation for monitoring a range of green roof experiments around water quality and insulation properties. 

The project has realised a place of advocacy, education and teaching; showcasing green roof technologies to the local design and construction industry whilst attracting international interest in the University’s research from travelling academics and design media.

“The focus for the main demonstration green roof was an attractive and functional teaching and learning space, but also a showcase for our research. This has certainly been achieved.”

AWARDS
2014 Australian Institute of Landscape

Architects (Victoria) Awards – Design Award