Skyfarming
ALARGE SECTION of a 2000sq.m rooftop car park in the heart of the Melbourne CBD is being transformed into a thriving urban farm. When completed later in 2022, it will feature sustainable and contemporary hospitality sites, event spaces, and environmental education and business conference facilities.
The sustainable city oasis, aptly named Melbourne Skyfarm, is in the Seafarers precinct and directly overlooks the Yarra River towards the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Melbourne Skyfarm will be open to the general public and people will be able to tour the working farm, visit and sample from the rooftop orchard and herb gardens, dine at the sustainable cafe, and enjoy a coffee overlooking Melbourne’s skyline. The project has been initiated by a group of sustainability organisations, including Odonata, with the support of, among others, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the City of Melbourne Urban Forest Fund.
The site will host thousands of school students who will be able to participate in educational experiences on sustainable living, regenerative practices and protection and restoration of nature.
Skyfarm will also demonstrate how to grow fresh produce and incorporate nature into city spaces, while using greenery to help cool the urban environment. With the capacity to produce 5 tonnes of fresh produce a year, much of which will be donated to OzHarvest, Skyfarm will showcase how we can overlay our city spaces with living systems that improve the ability of our cities to cool our microclimates in the face of increasing heatwaves, host beneficial biodiversity, generate fresh produce and improve nutrition, social connection and liveability.