Green Roof Project is a strata unit apartments located in international city-the eclecticism, vibrancy and nuances that make an inner city so compelling are all here. The steps and foyer of this handsome art deco block are a safe retreat; it’s a secure building with restaurants, cafes, gyms, supermarket and public transport all dose to its front door.

The block attracts people in their early twenties to forties, both singles and couples, and is largely rented. While there are no balconies on the relatively small strata unit apartments, a singular attraction is the swimming pool and roof garden that, according to one enthusiastic resident, provide a mix of private and communal outdoor space-a highly valued commodity for inner-city residents.

The building has recently undergone a roof renovation to replace the waterproof membrane and upgrade the recreational facilities. We aimed for a relaxed suburban backyard feel that was well-serviced for

Entertainment, but had virtually low maintenance requirements, Atlantis principal Mark Harper says. The building also needed a green space that would attract the local fauna. On this narrow linear rooftop, the residents can explore a variety of relaxing distractions-a raised swimming pool with stepped decking constructed with low maintenance and fire retardant Biowood composite decking, facades, planter boxes, an outdoor shower and open barbecue, shade plantings of scented frangipanis, sedum green roof technology and low-energy LED illumination in the evenings.

A one-metre-high brick balustrade with a substantial top handrail offers a reassuring sense of containment and security. This world in the sky, a communal space for the building’s numerous residents, is concealed and quite unimaginable from the urban activity at ground level-an urban retreat that’s right in the thick of it all.

Architech
Atlantis Design Landscape Architect

Main Contractor
Stonewood Construction Pty Ltd