The Queensland Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Singapore National Parks Board that could soon see local scientists growing vegetation on high rise buildings to reduce heat and improve air quality.
The MOU will open the door to a range of joint projects and knowledge sharing about urban greening.
"The international experience is that these initiatives can significantly reduce the quantity of air conditioning required to achieve the same cooling levels," says Tim Mulherin, Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland.
The Queensland government is currently looking for research partners for city trials which will look at any temperature reductions, the cost of installation and maintenance and energy savings.
"[Singapore] take this green approach to urban planning very seriously. For example, the land area taken up by a building must have an equivalent area in green space, whether on the roof top or the wall," says Mulherin.
Shane Holborn, QPIF researcher, says new technology has seen the development of state-of-the-art structures to hold growing vegetation in position on sloping roofs and vertically on walls.
"And while there has been considerable international research into the magnitude of the cooling effect afforded by green life, quantifying these effects in the Australian climate has received little formal research attention," Holborn says.
"Some studies have shown roof top gardens can reduce surface temperature by 10-20°C. "We are specifically interested in reducing the 'urban heat island effect' and reducing some of the negative effects associated with climate change.
"The research team has also been testing a number of products including soil moisture retention minerals. This will help green roof developers have the right growing media mix for our hot summers and subtropical conditions."
