

A Melbourne Car Park Transforms into Skyfarm


In Melbourne’s CBD, a public rooftop car park has been converted into an urban farm. Skyfarm, once a 2000 square metre rooftop parking garage, is projected to be under construction for another 12 months. It will include sustainable and contemporary hotel locations, environmental education, business conference facilities, and event spaces when it is finished. Moreover, it will be able to generate over five tonnes of fresh produce every year, with much of it going to the food bank OzHarvest.
Melbourne Skyfarm is the brainchild of a consortium of top Melbourne-based sustainability firms, including Biofilta, The Sustainable Landscape Company, and Odonata, which specialises in natural regeneration and conservation. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the City of Melbourne Urban Forest Fund have backed them up. Visitors will be able to tour the working farm, visit the orchard, sample rooftop honey, dine at the sustainable café, have a drink on the deck, hire unique event spaces, attend classes at the environmental education centre or enjoy the children’s playground. The venue is planning to open in late 2020.
Thousands of school children are scheduled to visit the site each year to partake in immersive education activities on sustainable living and environmental conservation. Thousands more people are anticipated to join farm tours, workshops, the café, and other events. The site will show how to cultivate fresh vegetables and integrate nature into urban spaces, as well as how to use greenery to avoid overheating the city.
Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech)