So, why not a rooftop revolution? Humans have made use of roof spaces since the invention of housing. Legend has it the Hanging Gardens of Babylon that greened the ancient city were created on roofs and terraces by those yearning for nature within their urban landscape.
These days, rooftop gardens and the 鈥済reen roofs鈥 movement are trending internationally, both as domestic and commercial spaces. Once useful for solar power and collecting rainwater, roofs are now used for food production, growing mini 鈥渇orests鈥 to mitigate climate change, 鈥渨ildlife gardening鈥, leisure and entertainment.
Rooftops of the world
Examples of rooftop regeneration are everywhere. Thailand鈥檚 Thammasat University, for instance, boasts urban farming on its rice terrace-influenced听, a multipurpose organic food space, public commons, water management system, energy generator and outdoor classroom.
The rooftop of the Paris Exhibition Centre is听, aimed at cutting the cost of food miles and feeding locals. With its massive, architectural 鈥渟upertrees鈥, Singapore鈥檚 Gardens by the Bay invents a lush oasis in the densely populated city-state.
Closer to home, the artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser鈥檚 famous roof garden on the听听was a precursor to his remarkable Waldspirale building in Darmstadt, Germany.
Typical of his belief in culturally diverse urban forms that co-exist with nature, the apartment complex includes a听. Even more ambitious, Whang膩rei鈥檚 brand-new Hundertwasser Art Centre has a听听that includes more than 4,000 plants.
The green roof
Similar ideas inform the听听on the University of Auckland鈥檚 engineering building. The project involves six plots containing 3,600 native and succulent plants, chosen for their ability to cope with both drought and flood conditions. Pumice, clay and bark are among the soil substitutes on trial, all part of proving a model for both commercial and domestic buildings.
To the west, the听听was designed to manage rainwater runoff, increase energy efficiency and promote biodiversity. The flat 500sqm garden contains ten types of native plant, iris and sand dune coprosma. The roof provides food and habitat for native insects and birds.
Rooftop development also offers the opportunity to decolonise cities, showcasing local culture and ecology and creating M膩ori spaces. Part of a renaissance in M膩ori architecture, Auckland International Airport鈥檚 green roof was听听and made from flax fibre with geometric patterning.
And to the south, with part of its intention being to absorb noise pollution from the airport, Remarkables Primary School in Queenstown has a green roof that blends into the landscape and can be听.
Drinking in the view
If there鈥檚 a pioneer of the sky-high lifestyle it鈥檚 probably the rooftop bar and restaurant. Kensington Roof Gardens in London opened in 1938, and from 1981 to 2018 was the site of Richard Branson鈥檚 appropriately named Babylon restaurant.
But the city rooftop bar is now a staple around the world.听听补苍诲听听boast multiple options, and post-earthquake Christchurch defies the loss of so much of the central city with two bars atop restored heritage buildings.
For those old enough to remember, these rooftop playgrounds might make them nostalgic for the real versions from their childhoods.
Taking their lead from the US, magical department store rooftop playgrounds thrilled generations of Kiwi children while their mothers shopped. On the Farmer鈥檚 rooftop in Auckland they could drive model cars, happily caught up in a fairground atmosphere that featured a giant toadstool.
On the Hay鈥檚 rooftop in Christchurch there were cheap rides on spaceships and fibreglass dinosaurs to slide down. There was even a popular purpose-built cr猫che on top of the then new Wellington railway station between 1937 and 1941.
Embracing Babylon
All of this suggests we might be ready for the rooftop revolution. The question is, however, is there a political and civic commitment to greening the mass of new medium-density roof spaces now being built?
It will likely take a shift in mindset, supportive legislation and perhaps subsidies. In bucolic 鈥淕od鈥檚 Own Country鈥, where our mental maps are of wide open spaces rather than vertical ones, roofscapes are going to take a bit of getting used to.
Might embracing a Kiwi Babylon mitigate our nostalgia for low-density living and let us re-imagine green spaces in exciting new ways? Let鈥檚 hope so. History tells us rooftops can combine utility with pleasure and sustainability. We just need to look up.
This article was originally published on听.
