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As our city is faced with the challenges of a changing climate, rapidly growing population and dense urbanisation, there isn't a better time for building owners to make better use of their buildings.
Rooftops in central Melbourne make up 880 hectares of space – more than five times the size of Melbourne’s largest park, Royal Park. Most of these rooftops are used for storing air conditioners and heating equipment. However, research indicates there is a large potential for rooftops to be used to benefit building owners, the community and the environment by adapting these spaces for:
Rooftop project maps
We’ve mapped all the rooftops in the City of Melbourne to see if they have the potential to be turned into solar, cool or green roofs. This hasn’t been done across a whole city before and is a model that will be improved over time with the data we input, but it’s a great place to start.
Explore the Rooftop Project mapsOpens in new tab and reimagine how you could use your roof. In each separate tab of the map you can reveal what could potentially work on your roof, zoom in to see the detail, and access further information including how to retrofit your roof and who to contact for assistance.
You can download the detailed map information from our Open data platformOpens in new tab.
Explore the mapsOpens in new tab
Disclaimer
The information published on the site is a community service provided by the City of Melbourne to highlight potential and disseminate information in regards to The Rooftop Project. Building owners will need to undertake their own feasibility studies and obtain independent advice if proceeding with a project.
The mapping is being released as a BETA version to test the tool. It is still subject to validation. The City of Melbourne is not responsible to you or anyone else for any loss, damage or injury incurred or sustained by any person as a result of use or reliance on the information published on this site. This includes, but is not limited to, the transmission of any computer virus.
The information on this site is liable to change and we do not guarantee its currency.
No link to another site should be construed as an endorsement or recommendation of any information, goods or services referred to on that linked site.
Cool roofs
Cool roofs reduce the amount of heat held and transferred to the building below, keep the building cooler and at a more constant temperature.
Cool roofs have additives to the base material or paint that reflect the sun’s heat and emit absorbed radiation back into the atmosphere at a higher rate than standard materials.
The City of Melbourne is committed to achieving zero net emissions for our city and a key step in meeting this goal is reducing the amount of energy used to cool the city’s buildings.
The urban heat island effect
The urban heat island effect is often seen in urban areas, where infrastructure absorbs, maintains and then reradiates heat. This causes inner city areas to be a number of degrees hotter than surrounding rural areas.
Through the use of cool roof products, Melbourne can decrease the impact of the urban heat island effect on our city. Designing our infrastructure to minimise heat absorption will make Melbourne more resilient to increasingly extreme heat conditions as the climate changes.
Resources
- For more information about cool roofs including costs, products and maintenance, download Cool roofs: a City of Melbourne guide.
- Cool Roofs: City of Melbourne Research Report contains information about cool roofs, their properties and benefits, and the results of field testing on buildings. The research was done by Melbourne University.
Canopy: Melbourne green roof forum
Join the Canopy email list to hear about upcoming events relating to green roofs, walls and facades.
