The Matter of Landscape: Sustainable Design Strategies for RMIT City Campus: Part 2

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND 'The Matter of Landscape' is a multi-stage research project to design, develop and evaulate green roofs. Stage 1 was a finalist in the ACTS Green Gown awards (learning and teaching for sustainability category). Stage 2, which built on existing work from stage 1, involved designing, developing and evaluating green roofs to demonstrate best practice sustainable design. It was high commended in the ACTS Green Gown awards (Skills for Sustainability category). Stage 2 focussed on designing biodiversity pilot green roof modules, tested planting modules at a larger scale, using larger tree species, shrubs and ground covers and on environmental performance and user satisfaction. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION Green roofs are increasingly seen as the symbol of 'green' and 'sustainable cities' because of the ecosystem services that they provide. The list of benefits attributed to green roofs is broad and widely shared. These benefits are rarely quantified or qualified. This project has focussed on developing and testing an evaluation framework that enabled further refinement of design guidelines, identified future avenues of research and further contributed knowledge towards the sustainable benefits of green roofs. Academic refereed publications and conferences relating to sustainable discourse and policy are forthcoming. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE Many of the claimed sustainability benefits of green roofs remain anecdotal. This research extended on previous sustainability evaluation frameworks by developing and then trialling a post occupancy evaluation of green roof modules. Dissemination of outcomes has also been a key focus. Strategies have included conference presentations, a book chapter along with providing a 'hands on' learning experience for the wider public through facilitating workshops such as the Green Roof Workshop at Melbourne Open House (26-27 July 2014).