Ellerslie entrants take it to the rooftops

Ellerslie entrants take it to the rooftops

They’re approaching the Emerging Designs competition at Ellerslie International Flower Show from a different angle, but CPIT Architectural Studies students are confident their rooftop garden designs will impresses the judges tomorrow.

Two teams of CPIT students have each designed a rooftop garden to fulfil the brief of a young, single, professional client who appreciates good design and being surrounded by plants and yet is also into throwing parties at home.

One of the CPIT teams has opted for an elevator entrance, a constructed tree and the rustic look of recycled timber with their design called One Tree Roof. The other team chose a more natural palette and a focus on the skyscape views with Framed. A CPIT Foundation grant made both projects possible.

Both teams have been challenged to deepen their knowledge of architectural design by firstly having to construct the designs themselves and secondly by focusing more closely on the role of plants to achieve an overall effect according to their tutor Megan Lutton.

“It’s an excellent experience for our students because they have to take their designs off the page and construct them, and then present these designs to an international audience at Ellerslie,” she said. “The rooftop garden brief has been challenging and fun for them and I would say they have learned a great deal from being involved. I am very proud of their hard work and the results they’ve achieved.

It’s a relevant theme for a city redesigning and rebuilding its central district, especially for a city that likes to be known as the garden city and aspires to follow Melbourne’s example, where city rooftop gardens abound.

“I hope designers in Christchurch are inspired by some of the ideas and start incorporating more rooftop gardens in our city,” Lutton said.

ENDS

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