Weekly Blogs

How exciting!

Victorian Liberal National Coalition has announced a $5 million dollar Living Victoria plan. The coalition's partnership with Melbourne City Council is aimed at improving air quality, conserve energy and reduce the cities temperature through the introduction of Green Roofs on the concrete roof tops of Melbourne.

This is a clear indication that the gevernments are now waking up to the breath of benefits the Green Roofs industry can deliver into our urban environments and yet again we highly commend the Victorian government leading the way!

Junglefy is working with Australian councils to identify suitable rooftops on to which a rooftop farm could be established.

This is an exciting project inspired by the groundbreaking work of New York's Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. The pioneers of what is believed to be the first rooftop farm in the US are cultivating fresh vegetables on 2000 square metres on top of a warehouse rooftop in Greenpoint,  Brooklyn.

The Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is showcased internationally as a pioneer in the urban farming movement. Volunteers maintain the farm from seeding to harvest. Sundays are open to everyone from beginners to green thumbs and the farm also hosts free 2pm workshops in partnership with Growing Chefs on Sundays to encourage the spread of urban agriculture knowledge (and as they say "give the volunteers a break from the midday heat").

Also under construction in Queens, New York is a hydroponic rooftop farm which will require no soil at all. This $1.4 million venture expects to be growing leaf lettuce, herbs and other produce by early next year and the large American WholeFoods Market chain has already signed up as a customer.

The environmental payoffs of a rooftop farm include:
• The plants ability to absorb rainwater that would otherwise make its way in to the storm water system
• The fact that a layer of soil and vegetation helps insulate the building and reduces energy usage
• The production of locally grown food, which doesn’t travel far and so lessens the carbon footprint further. The more green roofs we build the more we collectively mitigate the “heat island effect” in our urban areas.

Junglefy's excited to be involved in introducing the revolution of rooftop farming to Australia. It all began with the idea to expand Sydney’s City Farm pushing it upwards on to a rooftop.

It is only natural that Junglefy’s strong history of growing food such as fruit in terrestrial landscapes, knowledge of horticulture, permaculture and expertise with green roofs has led to this project to launch rooftop farms in Australia.

The criteria Junglefy team are looking for in finding compatible rooftops includes evaluating the size of the rooftop, the load-bearing capacity, accessibility, aesthetics of the outlook and positioning for optimum sunlight and protection from wind, as well as proximity to restaurants and cafes who could use the fresh produce. Any suggestions would be most welcome info@junglefy.com.au

There is the possibility for a rooftop farm to a commercially viable model to produce local food which also offers educational and community opportunities.

The project is expected to attract worldwide attention and enthusiastic community support. The idea for this “arable” roofscape is to create a model that can then be expanded to other buildings around Australia.

Sources: http://rooftopfarms.org/, http://www.sydneycityfarm.org/

Copenhagen, Denmark is the latest city to follow the green roofs revolution with its mandatory green roof policy which has come in to effect this year.

All new development proposals, where the roof pitch is under 30 degrees, are now required to be vegetated.

The policy requires all new Copenhagen rooftops to meet at least two of the following effects:

1.  Absorbs 50-80% of the precipitation that falls on the roof
2.  Provides insulating effect and reduces reflection
3.  Helps to make the city greener and counteracts rising temperatures in the city
4.  Contributes to a visual aesthetic in a way that has a positive effect on quality of life
5.  Doubles the roofing lifespan as it is protected against UV rays.

These mandatory green roof requirements are part of Copenhagen's ambitious target of becoming the world’s first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

The modern "trend" started when green roofs were developed in Germany in the 1960s and have since spread to many countries. Today,  it is estimated that about 10% of all German roofs have been “greened”. Green roofs are also becoming increasingly popular in the United States, although they are not as common as in Europe.

The rest of the world has been a long way behind the German lead, but the speed cities are now placing mandatory policies in place is gaining great momentum, which is very encouraging.

Australia, is lagging behind when it comes to creating mandatory green roof policy as there are no formal green roof policies or planning instruments in place at this stage.

There are some programs to recognise and encourage green roofs particularly in South Australia,  Melbourne and Sydney and there is also the green star rating system in Australia, but as yet, this does not have any specific category or rating for green roofs.

Currently green roofs can be included in "innovative" category and can be used to contribute towards energy saving ratings in some projects.

Cities and countries leading the world in green roof policy include:

• • Basel, Switzerland
• • Germany (Country-wide )
• • Chicago, USA
• • Cologne, France
• • Linz, Austria
• • Toronto, Canada
• • London, UK is in the process of developing a policy and planning framework which is to include mandatory targets.

Junglefy hopes to work with various industry partners to drive similar change in Australia.

Sources: http://www.greenroofs.com/Greenroofs101/industry_support.htm,  http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/tourist/what_to_see_and_do/inspiration/green_copenhagen/co2_neutral_in_2025, http://www.livingroofs.org/copenhagen-green-roofs.html, http://web01.redland.qld.gov.au/robo/Minutes_Agendas/April_June10/Agendas%5CMay%5C5_May_PP%5CGreenRoofs_Appendix_2_policy_review.pdf

Junglefy is set to begin work on a large-scale green wall project at a Sydney girls' high school. Infact the project has already begun with the sourcing of plants preparing for work to commence onsite in November.

The project involves the design and construction of four individual walls totaling 137 square metres – there is currently no green wall at a larger scale in Sydney.

Covering one of the walls of the large assembly hall, the vertical green landscape is divided in to four sections separated by the doors to the assembly hall. The vertical garden forms a haven of greenery for the corridor between two buildings.

Being a girl’s school the request was for lots of flowers and so a mixture of natives and exotic flowering plants have been chosen. The plant palette has also had to take in to consideration the need to have low physiological effects for allergy-affected children who suffer such conditions as hayfever and asthma.

Junglefy’s design for the vertical wall is set to create the maximum visual impact and educational opportunity for the kids.

The challenge of the site is that plants need to cope with two extremes in sunlight, ranging from large periods of shade during winter to long hot periods of sun in summer. And as is the nature of planting between two buildings,  a wind tunnel can form on windy days.

Working with the school’s committee and educators, an exciting program has been created for the school. The walls offer a healthy and productive place to learn with hands-on learning opportunities across the school’s many disciplines.

Junglefy are to supply extra modules to the school so students and teachers can conduct experiments across different subjects including the sciences, chemistry and biology as well as home economics and agricultural classes. There is a great deal of learning possibilities around growing plants, especially in a vertical environment – measuring elements such as water, and the effects of nutrients and testing of the chemical makeup of soils. The green wall provides an exciting platform for learning.

The plan that now kicks in to action is for Junglefy to grow the plants offsite for 3 months,  they are then planted in to modules where growing continues for a further three months before being installed at the school early next year. The modules will appear onsite beautiful and full – a wall of this magnitude can’t help but impress.

At the cutting edge of sustainable building design is the increasingly popular practice of facade greening.

Facade greening involves the design and construction of vertical gardens of climbing plants and trained shrubs to cover the surface of a building via a system of trellises, cables, rods or mesh.   

Green facades can dramatically reduce the maximum temperatures of a building by as much as 50% by shading walls from the sun, which is especially important in warm climate zones like Australia.

Junglefy works closely with the market leading Ronstan who create high density bespoke facade greening systems.

The strong integration of Ronstan’s engineering, structural and construction expertise along with Junglefy's horticultural, design and soil engineering expertise, forms the perfect partnership for the team to manage a complete facade greening project.     

When it comes to façade greening, understanding the behaviour of specialised plants and the growing medium is a science in itself. The physical properties of tailor-made lightweight soils have lifecycle considerations as properties change over time causing structures to slump and deteriorate. It's important to get it right from the outset.   

Well thought out long term plans for green facade structures and the planting are critical to keep plant and structural renewal and replacement to a minimum. Green facades can have great potential to look after themselves to a certain extent when well-planted.    

Green facades are now becoming more of a commercially viable prospect for reinvigorating current buildings as well as integrating in to new developments. They positively impact a building's running costs and offer a genuine response to climate change.  

With space at a premium and urban environments being threatened by high-density developments, innovations such as green facading, living walls and green roofs are becoming more and more an attractive option.     

The Junglefy approach is to create unique and aesthetic green facades that take into consideration the practical requirements unique to each site.

Working in close collaboration with the client as well as developers and architects, Junglefy design and build the most practical and self-sustaining solution possible.

The major considerations are:       
>  Complexity, durability and the serviceability of a site
>  The environmental factors including light tolerance and water requirements
>  Plant choice, foliage density and coverage
>  The overall purpose, mood, look and feel aspired to.     

Green facades are in essence the development of microclimates that have the potential to thermally and acoustically insulate buildings while producing oxygen and appealing to people on a social and psychological level. Beautifully designed green facades have the potential to really inspire people to actively engage with a building.

Green Roofs Australia Inc. 4th Annual Conference is to be held in the stimulating environment of the Adelaide Zoo from the 20 -23 October 2010. Junglefy will be there with an exhibit and as a major sponsor of the event.

The conference is a not-to-be-missed event for anyone involved in the industry. It aims to inspire and inform individuals, businesses, government groups and organisations about green roof science, technology, practice, regulations, specifications and promotes green roofs as an effective response to climate change.

The 3 day conference is packed full of workshops, features both national and international speakers, an engaging social program and an exhibition/trade show. International Speakers include Ed Snodgrass, Founder of Emory Knoll Farms a leading supplier of plants and plant expertise for extensive green roof systems and Paul Kephart, Executive Director of Rana Creek, Living Architecture from California who have worked on some high profile projects across the world.

Other highlights include:

• > Intensive Edible Green Roof Gardens and A Pilot of an Extensive Native Plant Green Roof on a Heritage House in Inner Melbourne presented by Brod Street from the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

> Rooftop Greenery Systems in Subtropical Climates to Facilitate Sustainable Development and Mitigate Climate Change: A Review by Mohammad Anwar from CQ University
> Using Green Roofs as Tools to Maintain Native Biodiversity with Dr Sophie Petit from the School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia
> Approaches for Improving Green Roof Plant Selection in Australia presented by Dr Clare Farrell from the University of Melbourne; and
> Are Native Grassland Species Suitable for Australian Green Roofs? with Nicholas Williams from the University of Melbourne.

We'd also like to give a shout-out to ZinCos, a German company who will be launching their world-leading Green Roof product to the Australian market., Green Roofs Australia Conference 2010, 20-23 October 2010, Adelaide Zoo, Frome Road, Adelaide SA 5000 For more information >

Directly above the Council Chambers at Victoria's Monash Civic Centre, an exciting Junglefy project is now in full production mode.

The building is heritage listed for its design by the infamous Australian architect,  Harry Seidler. The most distinctive feature of the complex is described on the Harry Seidler and Associates website as being "the shape of the skylight roof over the council chamber. It consists of two opposing quadrant-shaped concrete walls which forms a semicircular vault which allows overhead daylight to enter the otherwise windowless chamber." It is directly surrounding these windows that the Junglefy living roof operation is taking place.

Under the watchful eye of Harry Seidler devotees and proud Civic Centre developers, there are many people passionately involved in the pioneering work of this project. It is a particularly unique project,  not only because of the valuable architecture, but because of its function as a research platform.

Funded by Melbourne Water, the site is to support research programs by both Monash and Melbourne Universities. Programs include the measurement and analysis of temperature fluctuations and stormwater runoff characteristics.

The programs are being run by the Faculty of Engineering at Monash and the School of Land and Environment at Melbourne University. Of particular interest is the effects shallow-depth environmental living roofs can have insulating a building from temperature and noise. Also, the ability to slow down runoff of storm water - taking away the burden on stormwater infrastructure and retaining valuable water in the urban environment. Also of interest is the ability of environmental roofs to reduce temperature build-up in urban environments reducing the effect of the urban heat island.

Plans for the rooftop include the installation of monitoring instrumentation amongst a variety of hardy drought-tolerant succulent plants.

The demolition process has involved stripping the old rooftop back in preparation for a modern waterproofing membrane. The Junglefy engineered growing media is then blown up on to the rooftop where it is laid down to specifications that serve to support the plant-life and act as living insulation on the roof slab. The lightweight planting media has been engineered to retain moisture and nutrients while providing support for the plant life over a long period of time.

Junglefy project manager, Dylan Grigg, talks enthusiastically about the project commenting on the fact that "there have been lots of sensitive challenges in both the design and construction phase working in a very busy public space and with a prominent heritage listed building." Junglefy have been very sensitive each step of the way,  ensuring technically and aesthetically Harry Seidlers revered architecture is not interfered with.

One of Junglefy's most recent green wall installations was for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) by Leighton Contractors.

The interior fitout designed by Woodhead Architects has received a 5 Star Green Star rating under the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA)’s Interiors Rating Tool.  

Part of the architectural design specified the installation of a “living wall” covered with specially selected plants to act as a natural filter for indoor air, removing airborne contaminants helping to create a highly productive and healthy workplace for the DEEWR team and that's where Junglefy stepped in.

Junglefy designed, constructed and is now contracted to oversee the ongoing maintenance of each of the 12 green walls installed on every floor of this state of the art building.

Head Junglefy man on the job,  Dylan Grigg,  said "this contract was a great test of our ability to work on a large scale construction sites alongside a multitude of other trade and design specialists - we really enjoyed the collaboration." Dylan was particularly proud of the unique feature designed by the architects which required planting along very thin strips under storage cupboards. Such features  really helped to create an added drama to the overall aesthetic of these unusual vertical gardens.

The employees have all moved in to their new headquarters and feedback has been excellent. Dylan has reported that the plants are all doing well and settling in to their new environment (just as the employees are).

Come and see Junglefy in action as we present at the Live Green House.

The idea of the the Live Green House is to create a transportable, interactive, urban home that provides practical information on sustainable living. Visitors are encouraged to explore the Live Green House which is complete with a range of experts in sustainable design, energy, water and waste and that includes us with our Junglefy Green Wall and our presentations on Friday 16 Oct at 6-8pm and Saturday 17 Oct at 4-6pm.

Our modular green wall has already been constructed and is thriving ready for its installation in the Live Green House which will be constructed at Taylor Square in October. The Junglefy modular green wall uses the ecoVert™Pro system which has been designed to provide a cost effective, beautiful indoor and outdoor greening solution with unparalleled flexibility. We have adopted this system as a particularly attractive option developed to meet the needs of architects,  builders and contractors by providing a beautifully simple, strong and lightweight product that offers great versatility.


We are excited to be one of the leading certified installers of the ecoVert™Pro which from design through prototyping, testing and manufacturing, is 100% Australian made and owned and environmentally, ticks all the boxes.


The City of Sydney are doing great things with this innovative event by creating new partnerships for its own sustainable operations as well as supporting residents and businesses to adopt sustainable practices.

Come and have a look through the Live Green House which includes a range of experts in sustainable design, energy, water and waste (including ourselves) who will be there to answer questions and dish out advice. You can explore the Live Green House at the following upcoming Sydney events:


Art & About Sydney 2010
Hyde Park: 23 - 26 September 2010


Chinese New Year 2011
Belmore Park: 28 - 30 January 2011


More Information >