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Graduate explores the world of green roofs
RMIT University graduate Ben Nicholson will travel around the world to study
developments and policy in rooftop gardens after being awarded a prestigious
Churchill Fellowship.
Mr Nicholson, of Collingwood, is heading overseas in September and October to
learn from world leaders in the field of green roof technology, which is becoming
increasingly popular internationally because of its many environmental benefits.
“Green roofs are still novel in Australia but overseas, in cities like Toronto and
Basel, they have been embraced and promoted because governments and
industry have recognised their wide-ranging benefits,” Mr Nicholson said.
“Rooftop gardens reduce the urban heat island effect in high-density cities, with
studies showing that adding plants to just 10 per cent of rooftops can result in
significant city-wide cooling.
“A green roof also acts as insulation, significantly reducing the need for cooling in
summer, and as a sponge when it rains, reducing stormwater impacts.
“Planning policies and building standards across Australia currently aren’t framed
to encourage the development of green roofs, so I’m hoping my study tour will
reveal ways that we can change that.”
Mr Nicholson, who graduated from RMIT with a Bachelor of Applied Science in
Planning (Honours) in 2006, studied rooftop gardens in Melbourne’s CBD for his
honours thesis and last year established a green roof consultancy, Groof.
He will travel to eight cities in North America, Europe and Asia as part of the
$23,000 fellowship he was awarded by the Churchill Trust.
“I’ve had a passion for rooftop gardens since I was a teenager going to school in
Sydney, when I would see the terracotta roofs from the train and imagine what
they’d be liked covered in grass,” Mr Nicholson said.
“It used to be seen as quirky and left-of-field but with growing community concern
about the environment, green roofs are starting to be recognised as a viable and
effective response to the challenges of climate change.”
For interviews: Ben Nicholson, 0434 925 604.
For general media enquiries: RMIT University Media and Communications,
Gosia Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176 or 0417 510 735.
25 August, 2008
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