Why more high-end home owners are embracing rooftop gardens

As everyday, AI-fuelled life becomes more hectic, and even owners of multimillion-dollar homes find space shrinking, it is rooftops that are providing a luxury refuge.

Or, as The Drifters, James Taylor and even Ike & Tina Turner sang in the ballad Up on the Roof: “On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be. And there the world below don’t bother me.”

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Prestigious Melbourne-based landscape architect Sam Barber says he has “experienced an increasing demand for rooftop, penthouse and upper-level landscapes”.

“When crafting either private or communal gardens and amenities, our projects harness themes such as restoration, rewilding, biophilia and bathing; active, passive and cognitive recreation; and, of prime importance, connection to nature and to people.

“[They] consider the infinite benefits of exposure to fresh air, sunlight, movement, heat, cold and growth.

“Listening, researching and engaging in a myriad of studies and practices enables our studio to create these elevated spaces that simply make people feel good.

“It doesn’t hurt that adding usable square metres and creating a tailored environment for a client considerably elevates the value of their property.”

Barber adds that upper-level landscapes should not only provide a cohesive architectural layer to the residence but, crucially, assist in reducing its environmental footprint by decreasing urban heat islands, boosting thermal performance, increasing urban biodiversity, and absorbing and retaining rainwater.

Award-winning Sydney-based garden designer Adam Robinson, whose firm has created a variety of top-tier multi-use rooftop gardens, says they are a green oasis for inner-city residents as well as a restful and exclusive place to commune with friends.

“We use beautifully appointed planting selections to create bountiful layering of colour and texture, while designs include all facilities needed for a modern lifestyle,” he says.

“Rooftop gardens are generally about expansive living and entertaining and clients want multi-use spaces that include dining, lounging and sometimes a pool, as well as an environment that speaks of both nature and luxury.”

Like Barber, he believes that creating spaces where residents are surrounded by abundant greenery can have significant mental health benefits.

“Even the simple action of picking a lemon can contribute to wellbeing,” says Robinson, who has craned in trees up to three metres high to give an instant, Eden-like effect that envelops rooftop visitors in a botanical embrace.

At Barber’s studio, green life is often contract-grown and sculpted off site for years prior to installation. Recent projects showcase ancient trees repurposed into urban sanctuaries and cantilevered swimming pools suspended in the city skyline.

A current South Yarra rooftop commission displays a wild and layered planting theme, teamed with a discreet, fully appointed kitchen, along with an integrated sauna, ice bath and shower.

“Beyond the roof line, an enormous decked entertaining space accommodates both dining and soft living furniture and boasts magical sunset views to the city,” Barber says.

Belle Property Daylesford’s Annette Leary says that, besides giving a property an immediate wow factor, “a rooftop garden can double your entertaining space while providing your home with excellent insulation, and great food-growing opportunities as people look for more sustainable options”.

Find it here

$4,900,000

50A Railway Crescent, Daylesford VIC 3460

6

4

10

View property

Price guide: $4.9 million
Agent: Belle Property Daylesford, Annette Leary 0407 917 054

Set high on 2.99 hectares, the main house of Wombat Hill Farm was designed by sustainability guru Joost Bakker and features his trademark grassed rooftop with stairway access and a second multipurpose three-bathroom dwelling.