Making the most of our rooftop spaces
What use is a roof? Once a maintenance-only area for building water systems and air conditioning units, the mid- and high-rise rooftop is fast becoming prime real estate for all sorts of fun and creative uses.
In this article, we get inspired by creative and innovative uses for cities’ rooftops.
Greenery
Australians are an outdoorsy people; it’s probably why ‘save the backyard’ is a rallying cry for many NIMBYs. However, in denser suburbs where outdoor space is limited, the open rooftop can fulfil the role that backyards and parks do in lower-density areas.
As we begin to understand the connection between open green spaces and human physical and mental health, rooftop gardens become increasingly important features of inner-city living. In busy South Brisbane, the Queensland Children’s Hospital’s rooftop garden provides patients too sick to leave the hospital access to green, open spaces.
In the last two and a half years, fires, pandemics, and floods have revealed how precarious our supply chains are. And with the average person becoming more concerned about food sustainability, it’s no wonder that some are taking matters into their own hands by turning rooftops into urban farms. An urban farm can be as small as a single apartment building’s community veggie patch to something as large as the 14,000 square-metre farm that crowns the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
Of course, all those plants will need pollinators, so it’s a good thing that urban beekeeping is taking off. Businesses like Bee One Third and Hive and Harvest set up beehives on otherwise unused rooftops across South East Queensland. Bees are surprisingly well suited to city living and may actually live longer than their country cousins. While humans may require glamourous amenities to draw them to a rooftop, all bees require is 1.5 square metres for their hive.
Health and Wellbeing
Rooftops can also be great places to exercise, relax, and practice wellbeing. With our hot summers and water-loving culture, a pool at ground level is already a common feature of residential towers. But move it to the roof and you get a paddle with a view. The inclusion of decking and sun lounges adds to that aspirational, resort feel.
Many newer towers are also setting aside a designated workout area on their rooftop. Rooftop yoga lawns, in particular, are becoming increasingly common, especially among the more high-end offerings. Other rooftops may facilitate a more intense workout, installing outdoor exercise equipment of the kind usually found in parks.
Although the idea is yet to be realised on Australian shores, rooftop running tracks are popping up on residential and commercial buildings around the world. White Collar Factory in London made waves when it unveiled a 150-metre running track looping the roof’s circumference.
Entertaining and Connecting
Is there any image more iconically Australian than the barbeque – friends and family gathered around the table to share a home-cooked meal. It’s such stuff as supermarket Christmas ad campaigns are made on. In the absence of a backyard or local park, the rooftop can be a great place to entertain loved ones and connect with neighbours.
Obviously, the Aussie barbie is a national institution, so it’s no surprise that apartment rooftops have been equipped with barbeques for some time. But we also see the occasional pizza oven, teppanyaki grill, or even full chef’s kitchen.
Plenty of high-rise apartments offer a ‘private dining space’ on their roof for residents to share; some can even be booked in advance. And on warm evenings, there’s nothing like having a good natter with old friends around a crackling firepit.
Alternatively, other towers may open their rooftops to public, turning the space into a restaurant or bar.
For the Family
We tend to think of apartments as places unsuited – even hostile – to children and pets. But as house prices rise and apartment living becomes more common, all that is set to change. After all, it’s only fair that our rooftop spaces have something for even the littlest members of the community.
Being a city kid shouldn’t mean having to miss out on the fun of outdoor play. Inner-city childcare centres, such as Brisbane City Child Care in Spring Hill, have transformed their rooftops into immersive open-air play spaces.
In Kangaroo Point, residential tower Valencia Residences has a custom-designed rooftop playground, complete with tunnel slide, climbing wall, telescope, and ‘shop front’ (plus parents seating area).
For children of the furry variety, rooftop dog parks are just now beginning to appear in Australia. The Spot markets itself as the Gold Coast’s first dog-friendly tower; its ‘crowning glory’ is its rooftop dog park, a fenced-off turfed area for canine residents to run around and meet each other. Less fun for dogs, but convenient for their humans, the rooftop is also home to a hydrobath station.
Fun and Games
Of course, it’s not just little ones who need to be entertained. Ever since an outdoor cinema atop Melbourne’s Curtin House opened for the summer months in 2006, rooftop cinemas have been a draw for commercial and residential buildings alike.
For those of a more literary bent, communal rooftop space could be a great place to set up a street library. Meanwhile, an entire library room replete with wall to floor shelves, wi-fi, and comfy seating is fast becoming a sought-after amenity in high-end apartment offerings such as the Aviary Residences in Toowong.
The rooftop can also be a place to play games. When American apartment dwellers looked around and found the lack of putting greens disturbing, they installed them on the roof. Back in Oz, Pradella’s ‘The Lanes’ in West End includes plans for table tennis facilities on its rooftop recreation area.
Buildings with larger footprints have the opportunity for large-scale sports facilities, like tennis or basketball courts. Tokyo’s Adidas Futsal Park is recognisable worldwide for its distinctive location atop a department store.
The Final Word
As space on the ground becomes more precious, transforming the otherwise vacant space on our rooftops into places where we can play, relax, exercise and just live is common sense. It’s an opportunity that’s been mostly missed by now, but with Brisbane recently making it easier to create innovative uses for rooftops, we’re leading the way towards an exciting future.
