Green roofs and walls
Top of the town goes green
Green roofs and walls provide multiple environmental and community benefits. Differing from traditional gardens, green roofs and walls help different types of plants grow and thrive on the top of buildings and on vertical walls, making them vital parts of sustainable cities.
Two types of green roofs exist. Intensive green roofs include soil deeper than 20 centimetres and can support large trees and solar panels. Extensive green roofs have shallower soil, less than 15cm, suitable for smaller plants and not as likely to support people walking on them.
The City supports green roofs and green walls being created throughout the local area. In June 2012, the City adopted a strategy to help promote green roofs and green walls in the local area. The strategy is available for download at the end of this page.
At the end of 2012 the City also finalised a research project looking at how the industry and residents see green roofs and walls benefiting the city. This study confirmed that residents understand and appreciate the many benefits green roofs and walls offer. This perception study can be downloaded below.
Advantages of a green roof or wall
- Air quality: Green roofs and walls help remove carbon dioxide and harmful pollutants from the atmosphere.
- Biodiversity: Roof tops are a great place for insects, reptiles and birds to find water, food and shelter.
- Comfort: Green roofs and walls help to lower the urban heat island effect, where hard surfaces can absorb and radiate heat back out into the environment.
- Open space: Offer public space for increasing numbers of people in cities and create a valuable asset for building owners.
- Insulation: Can help to reduce energy use from air conditions and act as a buffer from outside noise.
- Water: Slow and clean rainwater running off buildings that end up in our waterways.
Help with installing a green roof or wall
To help with the installation process, the City has put together a green roof resource manual.
The resource manual provides examples of existing green roofs, design factors that need to be considered, information about water and energy technologies as well as maintenance issues.
You can download the resource manual at the end of this page.
Contacts
Lucy Sharman
Green Roofs and Walls Project Officer
02 9265 9426 lsharman@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Links
Green roof key
= Accessible to the public
= No public access
| Suburb | Site name | Type | Address | Council owned | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camperdown |
Common Ground Project |
Green roof | 23-45 Pyrmont Bridge Road | No |
Accessible to the public by appointment |
| Darlinghurst |
Green Park Hotel |
Green wall | 360 Victoria Street | No | Accessible to the public during opening hours |
| Elizabeth Bay | Lawrence Hargrave Park | Green roof | 9 Elizabeth Bay Road | No |
Accessible to the public |
| Paddington | Paddington Reservoir Gardens | Green roof | 251-255 Oxford Street | Yes |
Accessible to the public |
| Potts Point |
Embarkation Park |
Green roof | 71 and 83 Cowper Wharf Roadway | Yes | Accessible to the public |
|
Gazebo Wine Garden |
Green wall | 2 Elizabeth Bay Road | No | Accessible to the public during opening hours | |
| Wayside Chapel | Green roof | 27 Hughes Street | No | Accessible to the public by appointment | |
| William Street overpass | Green wall | Darlinghurst Road | Yes | Accessible to the public (September to June) | |
| Surry Hills | Prince Alfred Park | Green roof | Chalmers Street | Yes | Accessible to the public |
| Sydney |
Bromeliad Wall |
Green wall | Royal Botanic Gardens Tropical Centre | No |
Accessible to the public |
| Darling Park | Green roof | 231-239 & 241-249 Sussex Street | No | Accessible to the public | |
| Garden Wall Stand | Green wall | Garden Shop and Restaurant, Royal Botanic Gardens | No | Accessible to the public | |
| Ivy Hotel | Green wall | 330 George Street | No | Accessible to the public during opening hours | |
|
KENS Site |
Green roof | 271 Kent Street | No | Accessible to the public | |
|
NAB |
Green wall | 243-257 George Street | No | Accessible to the public during opening hours | |
|
Pullman Hotel |
Green wall | 26-36 College Street | No | Accessible to the public | |
| Shelbourne Hotel | Green wall | 200-202 Sussex Street | No | Accessible to the public | |
|
The Conservatorium of Music |
Green roof | 1 Conservatorium Road | No | Accessible to the public | |
| The Domain | Green roof | 2 Prince Albert Road | No | Accessible to the public | |
|
Wynyard Park |
Green roof | 2a York Street | Yes | Accessible to the public | |
| Ultimo |
City Central Display |
Green wall | 62-98 Broadway | No | Accessible to the public during opening hours |
| Waterloo | Waterloo Youth, Family and Community Centre | Green roof and wall | Corner of Elizabeth Street and Allen Street | Yes | Accessible to the public |
| Woolloomooloo | Woolloomooloo Bunker | Green roof | 6 Lincoln Crescent | No | Accessible to the public |
| Suburb | Site name | Type | Address | Council owned | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippendale |
Central Park |
Green wall | 26-60 Broadway | No |
Visible to the public |
| Darlinghurst | Garden Life Terrace | Green wall | 373-375 Liverpool Street | No |
Visible to the public |
| Elizabeth Bay |
Beare Park |
Green roof and wall | 13 Esplanade |
Yes |
Visible to the public |
| Haymarket |
Goulburn Street Car Park |
Green wall | 101 Goulburn Street | No |
Visible to the public |
| Newtown |
Ivy Terrace |
Green wall | 22 Egan Street | No | Visible to the public |
| Redfern | Norfolk Hotel | Green wall | 305-309 Cleveland Street | No | Visible to the public |
| Surry Hills | Surry Hills Reservoir | Green roof | 224A Riley Street | No | Visible to the public |
| Sydney |
Hilton Hotel |
Green wall | 488 George Street | No | Visible to the public |
|
Patagonia |
Green wall | 93 Bathurst Street | No | Visible to the public | |
|
RBG Administration and Reception Building |
Green wall | Mrs Macquaries Road | No | Visible to the public | |
| Woolloomooloo |
Wharf Terraces |
Green roof | 16 Lincoln Crescent | No | Visible to the public |
| Suburb | Site name | Type | Address | Council owned | Accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alexandria |
Atlas Apartments |
Green roof | 11-15 Power Avenue | No |
No public access |
|
Hudsons Apartments |
Green roof | 240 Wyndham Street | No |
No public access |
|
| Camperdown |
Trio Building, City Quarter |
Green wall | 1-5 Stering Circuit | No |
No public access |
|
Westons Biscuit Factory |
Green roof | 2-30 Lyons Road | No | No public access | |
| Chippendale |
Chippendale Mews |
Green roof | 92-96 Shepherd Street | No |
No public access |
| Darlinghurst |
Belgrave Court |
Green roof | 5-11 Boundary Street | No |
No public access |
|
The Republic |
Green wall | 46-50 Burton Street | No | No public access | |
| Westbury Apartments | Green roof | 221 Darlinghurst Road | No | No public access | |
| Elizabeth Bay | Elizabeth Bay Gardens | Green roof | 15-19 Onslow Avenue | No | No public access |
| Millers Point |
Observatory Tower |
Green roof | 168-170 Kent Street | No |
No public access |
| The Bond | Green roof and wall | 30-34 Hickson Road | No | No public access | |
| Potts Point | Barons Building | Green roof | 5-9A Roslyn Street | No |
No public access |
| Springfield Mall | Green wall | 18 Springfield Avenue | No | No public access | |
| Wyldefel Gardens | Green roof | 8a Wylde Street | No | No public access | |
| Pyrmont |
Bowman Street |
Green roof | 66 Bowman Street | No | No public access |
| Google Headquarters | Green wall | 5/48 Pirrama Road | No | No public access | |
| M Central | Green roof | 320 Harris Street | No | No public access | |
| Mount Street Walk | Green roof | 2-4 Mount Street Walk | No | No public access | |
| The Palladium | Green roof | 102 Miller Street | No | No public access | |
| Redfern |
Moore Park Gardens |
Green roof | 780 Bourke Street | No | No public access |
| Signature Apartments | Green roof | 21 Regent Street | No | No public access | |
| Surry Hills | Holt & Hart Building | Green roof | 50 Holt Street | No | No public access |
| Readers Digest Building | Green roof | 71-111 Cooper Street | No | No public access | |
| Surry Hills Library | Green roof | 405 Crown Street | Yes | No public access | |
| Sydney |
Allianz Building |
Green roof | 2 Market Street | No | No public access |
| Capita Centre | Green roof | 9-13 Castlereagh Street | No | No public access | |
| Castlereagh Street | Green roof | 44 Castlereagh Street | No | No public access | |
|
Newhaven |
Green roof | 278-284 Sussex Street | No | No public access | |
|
NSW Parliament |
Green roof | 6 Macquarie Street | No | No public access | |
|
St Martins Tower |
Green roof | 31 Market Street | No | No public access | |
|
UNSW CBD Campus |
Green roof | 1-15 O'Connell Street | No | No public access | |
| Ultimo |
ABC Headquarters |
Green roof | 700 Harris Street | No | No public access |
| Zetland |
Eco 1 |
Green roof | 11 Grandstand Parade | No | No public access |
| Eco 2 | Green roof | 13 Grandstand Parade | No | No public access | |
|
Grandstand Parade |
Green roof | 9 Grandstand Parade | No | No public access | |
| Nova Apartments | Green roof | Victoria Park Parade | No |
No public access |
|
|
Prominence |
Green roof | 1 Grandstand Parade | No |
No public access |
| Downloads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Green roofs and walls strategy | PDF 1.1 MB | Download |
| Green roofs resource manual | PDF 4.4 MB | Download |
| Green roofs and walls in the local area | PDF 498.8 KB | Download |
| Green roofs and walls perception study | PDF 120.6 KB | Download |
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Last updated: Tuesday, 7 May 2013