131 Queen St and BENT Architecture have been announced as the winning building and designer in the Growing Up green roof competition.

An initiative of the Committee for Melbourne's Future Focus Group, the ‘Growing Up’ Competition aims to demonstrate the benefits of green roofs on city buildings.  This initiative is in response to the Committee for Melbourne’s Future map 2030 Climate Change Taskforce recommendation to increase Melbourne’s resilience to climate change by installing green roofs and enhancing the city’s livability and it’s reputation as a centre for biotechnology, cohesion and inclusion, creativity, research and development, and culture.

The design aspect of the competition called on landscape architects and architects to design green roofs for one or more of three short listed buildings. The most sustainable and innovative green roof design would then come to life on the winning building. 131 Queen Street, Melbourne, owned by an Owners' Corporation comprising commercial occupancies now have a green roof design that will be built with the help of Growing Up's sponsors including Melbourne Water, Sustainability Victoria, VicUrban, City of Melbourne, and Australia Post. Construction of the winning design will take place this year with the assistance of Brookfield Multiplex.

The judging panel for the competition, chaired by Geoffrey London, the Victorian Government Architect, included representatives from VicUrban, Green Roofs Australia, Melbourne Water, Property Council of Australia (Victoria) and AILA Victorian Chapter.  

BENT Architecture’s winning entry, entitled ‘Head for the Hill’, proposes a central landscaped hill, around which a singular circulation zone expands and contracts to create a number of gathering spaces of varying scales and orientations.  Bound by edges of seating and planting, inhabitants are to be completely surrounded by greenery along a continuous experience of the roof.  Traditional garden structures, such as a folly, gazebo and terracing, create diversity along the journey.  ‘Head for the Hill’ aims to showcase the environmental, social and economic benefits of green roofs through the creation of an oasis within the city – a place that is both connected to and protected from its surrounds.

In addition to the recreational functions of the roof design, the proposal also performs a research function.  Monitoring equipment, a centralised roof water collection and irrigation system and a micro-weather station will allow researchers from The University of Melbourne to collect green roof performance data. Keep track of the winning design as it comes to life by regularly logging onto www.growingup.org.au