The green roof of the Prince Alfred Park Pool in Surry Hills has been shortlisted for outstanding design in the Greenlife Infrastructure Category of the Nursery and Garden Infrastructure Awards.

At 2000sqm, the roof is part of the transformation undertaken by Neeson Murcutt Architects with Sue Barnsley Design, which earned a NSW medal at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects awards last year.

It is the largest green roof of its kind in Sydney, and is complete with a meadow and more than 35,000 seasonal and native grasses.

Green roofs have made Sydney’s urban environment a more beautiful place to live and work, Lord Mayor Clover Moore says.

“This green roof was planted two years ago and as the native grasses have matured and thickened they have created important habitat for our urban wildlife including lizards, small birds and insects.

“The roof offers welcome shade to pool users and reduces noise and pollution from nearby busy streets, creating an oasis of tranquillity in the park. This is a fantastic example of how living systems can be integrated into a modern building design to create a beautiful and functional space.”

The site was designed to be a ‘folded landscape’ that integrated meadows of native grass in with the pool facilities to create a rolling park landscape.

Also shortlisted in the same category were the Perth Cultural Centre Precinct Revitalisation Program by Josh Byrne & Associates; Rouse Hill Infrastructure Works by Simpson Landscapes & Consultants; and Sportlink by City of Whitehorse.

The Perth Cultural Centre Precinct integrates innovative landscape design with strong sustainability objectives. Josh Byrne & Associates helped improve amenity, address safety issues and create opportunities for community participation and ownership of the space.