Pixel Building green roof
Researchers: A/Prof Nick Williams, A/Prof John Rayner, Dr Claire Farrell, John Delpratt
Funding: Grocon (2010)
Background
Grocon contracted us to provide advice on the construction and maintenance of the green roof on their carbon neutral Pixel office building in Carlton. To achieve the perfect Green Building Council green star rating, Grocon needed a green roof that used no irrigation and reflected the original grassy vegetation of the inner Melbourne site.
We developed two lightweight substrates suitable for use in the project―one scoria-based and the other a bottom-ash substrate. A small replicated experiment was undertaken to test a range of native grassland species simulating conditions on the proposed green roof.
Results informed the final Pixel building green roof design and planting palette which was then monitored for survival and recruitment for two years.
Outreach
- Green age dream, Dan Moss, Melbourne Times Weekly, September 2011
- Green idea takes root at the top, Annie Reid, The Weekend Australian, November 2010
Contact
For more information please contact Nick Williams from the Green Infrastructure Research Group at nsw@unimelb.edu.au.