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Victorian Desalination & Ecological Reserve
The Victorian Desalination Project is a large-scale infrastructure project capable of delivering up to 150 billion litres of water to Melbourne. A core part of the project is a new 225-hectare ecological reserve, one of the largest ecological restoration projects undertaken in Victoria.
An important element of the project is a 26 000 m² extensive green roof, which covers the main building within the site and integrates into the ecological reserve. No comparable green roof project of this scale has been undertaken in Australia.
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Client AquaSure consortium (Degremont, Thiess, Macquarie Capital Group)
Team ASPECT Studios, Practical Ecology with peckvonhartel and ARM architects
Location Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia
Year 2007–2013
The green roof has been planted with more than 100 000 plants – a variety of 25 species of indigenous succulent ground covers, tussocks and low-lying shrubs. It draws on site specific ecological design principles with purpose-designed lightweight high water retention planting media. The systems necessary to support plant growth are integrated into the roof structure itself.
One of the central objectives of the project is to minimise the process plant’s visual impact on the existing coastline. The ecological reserve and green roof play an important role in the design response, blending the infrastructure into the landscape through the interpretation of the existing dune formations and restoring the ecological values of the site
AWARDS 10th IFLA Asia-Pac Landscape Architecture Awards - Infrastructure Category – Award of Excellence, 2017
The Chicago Athenaeum & The European Centre - Green GOOD DESIGN Award Winner, 2017
AILA National Landscape Architecture Awards – Infrastructure, 2016
AILA VIC Awards - Infrastructure Award of Excellence, 2016
Photography Peter Bennets & John Gollings
Graphics ASPECT Studios
TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Bunurong Country