Sowing the seeds for Australia’s first ‘green roof’ study
Media Release, Thursday 17 July 2008
Researchers at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus are examining the suitability of Australian native plants in ‘green roofs’; shallow rooftop gardens which are becoming increasingly popular internationally for their environmental and energy saving benefits.
“Green roofs have amazing potential but have not yet been evaluated under Australian climatic conditions. We will be examining the suitability of selected native plants for green roofs by measuring their survival, growth rate and response to drought stress” said project leader Dr Nick Williams, Lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus.
Defined as roofs which support planted vegetation, green roofs have demonstrated benefits including reduced runoff of roof water, aesthetically pleasing cityscapes, longer roof life, significantly reduced building energy use and a reduction of the urban heat island effect.
“A Canadian study found that a green roof reduced daily energy use during summer by 75-90% compared to a control roof. The installation of green roofs could therefore form an important adaptive response to climate change by directly and indirectly reducing the energy demands of urban buildings” added Dr Williams.
Green roofs are established by installing a waterproof membrane, followed by a root barrier, a cellular plastic drainage layer and a specifically designed light weight growing media.
“We will establish an experimental green roof and monitor its effect on roof temperatures and the building energy budget by comparing it to an otherwise identical control roof” said Mr John Rayner, Lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus.
“Green roof plants used overseas are typically from arid, mountainous or coastal environments. Plants need to be robust and low in height so they don’t get blown off the roof, have good drought tolerance, like exposure to full sun and are easily maintained.”
“We have selected a range of Australian and exotic species to trial that meet these criteria including herbs and grasses that grow in the native grasslands west of Melbourne and succulents from arid inland regions.”
This research will be used to provide information to architects, landscape designers and public policy makers who wish to install green roofs suitable for Australian conditions and objectively evaluate the environmental benefits.
For more information and interviews:
Dr Nick Williams
Lecturer
School of Resource Management and Geography
University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus
Mobile 0408 552 952
Email: nsw@unimelb.edu.au
Mr John Rayner
Lecturer
School of Resource Management and Geography
University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus
Mobile: 0417 580 852
Email: jrayner@unimelb.edu.au
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