Growing more vertically than usual

A view from the top.

Ten years! That's right, I have been at my current job for 10 years now, it's been a good ride and I have met many cool and passionate plant people, while being involved with some interesting projects. None more so than the One Central Park project, the former site of the CUB Brewery at Chippendale, that has been transformed into Australia's premier sustainable "green" building.

Central Park is one project that is very unique, in so many ways and as someone who worked on this, it has given me immense pleasure to be involved with - even if it was a pretty small role. It is something that I can smile about now but it wasn't always plain sailing - from a horticultural point it was down right stressful and agitating at times. Logistically, it was nightmare to coordinate from growing and sourcing the plants to delivering them, it rarely went smoothly but it was uncharted territory for most parties involved.

I am sure most Sydney-sider's and visitors to the CBD are familiar with the "plant building". It's pretty obvious as you make your way down George Street towards (or from) Central Station. It certainly does stand out amongst the 'regular' buildings that share the area, all you need to do is look up to see the sprawling, cascading plants that adorn the facade.

It was during a short bus ride from Central Station to Glebe Point Rd that made me realise that this building has had a fair amount of impact on the people and visitors of Sydney. I took a seat next to an elderly woman and as we drove past "One Central Park", she noticed me taking notice of the building (for the umpteenth time) "it's wonderful isn't it?" and with that we engaged in a conversation about how this building stands out, that's it different in a good way and that buildings like this one, were something we need more of to break up the concrete jungle.

But we are are at the end of the story, we need to look at what has happened to get us to this point.

Prior to it's current form, the site at Kent Street was a brewery for over 150 years and was hidden by large walls. The area itself has had a colourful past - ravaged by disease during the 1800's and gripped by crime and notoriety throughout the 20th century. The areas became popular due to the burgeoning art and cultural scene but it was the beginning of the end for the brewery industry with Carlton United Brewery closing it's doors for good in 2005.

Former Glory - the CUB site circa 2003.

The Fraser's Property Group bought the land in 2007 with grand plans to re-vitalise the area with mixed urban and commercial development. So when "One Central Park" rose up from the ruins of the former brewery site it promised the Sydney public buildings like no other in Australia. A green building that would be a beacon amongst the drab grey blocks in it's surrounds. It would be a precinct that would give both residents and visitors the ability to connect with the natural world (like it or not) and lessen their impact on the environment.

It was certainly an ambitious project from a landscape perspective, there are not a lot of Aussie examples to draw inspiration or experience from, hence the need to employ a team of world renowned landscape architects. Planning was intense, with the developers undertaking much research, including archaeological digs within the site, to ensure area's heritage and legacy were preserved.

The master conductor of the "plantscape" would be French Botanist Patrick Blanc. He was to design the palette for what would be the world's tallest vertical garden. Flamboyant to say the least, Patrick has been dubbed the inventor of vertical gardens. His work is renowned outside of Australia and he has been involved in some impressive projects already (with many in the works) - you can check out Patrick's work here https://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

Exterior Motives? Plants making themselves at home.

There were over 350 different plant species used throughout, a mix of both native and exotic. Plants were generally grouped so they would cut a swathe of colour diagonally and vertically down the buildings exterior. Over 85,000 plants were used, of which approximately 35,000 were used in the vertical wall panels. Next time you pass by, look up and marvel at not only how it was put together but how it is maintained - no easy task!

There is a sense of life after civilisation about this building, if you have ever watched anything post-apocalyptic you'll know what I am talking about, this is how I could imagine plants reacting after humans ceased to exist - to quote Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park "I'm simply saying, uh.... life finds a way".

Plants aren't the only ones enjoying life on the building. It was this time last year due to the warmer than average autumn weather, where plant growth was still very active, maintenance crews who generally have flowers and foliage to contend with found fauna inhabiting the "gardens". With floral blooms attracting busy bees and wasps, the abundance of water attracting frogs and nearby smoke stacks housing a pair of Peregrine Falcons - this building had truly become an urban jungle.

Not only green on the outside, examples of the developers commitment to sustainability and the environment are contained within the One Central Park site. It has been fitted with state of the art "green" features such as a low carbon, natural gas power plant that produces thermal energy for residents. The development created Central Park Water to self manage & operate all water related infrastructure within the facility - the aim is to have residents use 40-50% less water. The facility also houses a Membrane Recycle Bioreactor, this is the largest water recycling facility in the world.

When you add it all together, you get a pretty impressive piece of urban development, but don't take my word for it, the building has won the following global and national awards:

2015
Best Innovative Green Building - MIPIM Awards

2014
Best Tall Building Worldwide - Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Sustainability Award - LEAF Awards
International Green Infrastructure Award - World Green Infrastructure Congress
Development of the Year - Urban Task Force (Australia)

A full list of awards and nominations can be found here.

When the dust settled in late 2013 and was finally complete, my attitude changed a lot! Being invited to the opening and being acknowledged for my role with this project certainly helped me appreciated what we had done and what others had also struggled through to get the job done.

I still look up as I walk or drive by, I am sure you have too, if you haven't had a look you really should - it's hard to miss!