Nigel Dunnett

Reader in Urban Horticulture
Director, The Green Roof Centre
Department of Landscape
University of Sheffield

Dr Nigel Dunnett is Reader in Urban Horticulture, University of Sheffield, and is Director of The Green Roof Centre, Sheffield UK.  He has a background in botany, horticulture and ecology.  His research work and teaching combines all these disciplines, with particular focus on the design, implementation and management of naturalistic alternatives to conventional landscape plantings, and in novel approaches to integrating biodiversity and vegetation on and around buildings. 

He is co-author of Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls (Timber Press, Portland Oregon, 2nd edition 2008) – which was the first English language text devoted solely to the contemporary concept of green roofs; Rain Gardens: managing water sustainably in the garden and designed landscape’ (Timber Press 2007), and ‘The Dynamic Landscape: the ecology, design and management of urban naturalistic plantings’ (Taylor & Francis 2004).   He initiated, coordinated and hosted the 1st and 2nd National UK green roof conferences in 2003 and 2006.   He has particular interests in plant selection and vegetation design for green roofs, and in the interactions between green roof aesthetics and biodiversity. 

Rick Buist

President
BIOROOF SYSTEMS INC.

Rick Buist is president and principle of Landsource Organix Ltd., Canada’s leading green roof installation company.  He is also president and principal of Bioroof Systems, an ecologically based green roof program with certified installers and suppliers throughout North America. 

As one of Canada’s leading horticulturists, Rick has been instrumental in the development of cutting edge green roof  ecology as well as curriculum geared towards environmental horticulture. Rick has spent several years teaching environmental horticulture at one of Canada’s leading colleges and continues teaching and getting involved in training at various levels.  Rick is very active in the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Association as a Director of the Board, Chairman of the Corporate Members Board as well as Chairman of the Growing Medium Subcommittee. 

A popular speaker, Rick has presented at the annual conferences of the US and Canadian Compost Councils, the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, symposiums for Green Roofs for Healthy Cities throughout North America and The Society for Professional Engineers.  Rick is often requested to conduct training for firms associated with architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, ecological restoration and land planning.  

His company has been involved with over 100 green roof projects including some of the most significant projects in North America.

Rick also hates these ridiculously lengthy bios.

Robyn Simcock

Landcare Research
Tamaki Campus University of Auckland

Robyn is a graduate from Massey University, initially in Horticultural Science, with a focus on Soil Science, and followed by a PhD investigating soil compaction and mine rehabilitation in the early 90s.   She joined Landcare Research to continue work on rehabilitation of soils and ecosystems impacted by foresty, mining and road construction. 

Since moving to Auckland around 2001 she has increasingly focused on creating substrates (including soils) and plants that mitigate stormwater runoff.  This has involved design, construction and maintainance of raingardens and, more recently, greenroofs.  Greenroof research began in 2005 when Waitakere City contracted Landcare Research to develop a substrate and native plants for an extensive greenroof on their Civic Centre offices.  This roof was constructed in 2006.  Since collaboration with Elizabeth Fassman in School of Engineering and her students, laboratory and field studies have enabled rapid progress on substrate development and hydrological modelling using joint glasshouse and field sites including replicated mini-roofs and tilted beds (2 to 3m2) to full-scale roofs.

Alan Hoban

Manager, Water by Design
The sustainable urban water management capacity building program of the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership.

Alan graduated dux of environmental engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1996, coupled with a science degree in physical geography. He has received several academic and industry awards including the Gilbert Vasey award in Agricultural Engineering and the inaugural Sinclair Knight Merz Fellowship.   He has significant experience in urban hydrology and urban water quality.  He is an experienced water sensitive urban design practitioner and has worked on many successfully delivered water sensitive urban design projects across Australia, and has seen these projects through from conceptual design through to construction and establishment, and has recently worked with the Singapore Public Utilities board on the development of their water sensitive urban design framework. He was a senior engineer with Ecological Engineering and subsequently an associate director of EDAW, and is now the manager of the Water by Design capacity building program.

Arno King

Associate Director
Deicke Richards

An associate director of Brisbane based company Deicke Richards, Arno currently jointly manages the Landscape Architectural division. Combining the professions of urban design, landscape architecture and horticulture, Arno enjoys a collaborative approach to landscape architecture and urban design, including facilitating community workshops and working with a diversity of design professionals. He is interested in the development of engaging and useable environments, which enhance the qualities of place. Arno regularly provides assessments for local and state government departments and frequently gives evidence in the Planning and Environment Court.

A prolific writer, his articles are featured in many specialist journals and popular magazines. Arno has a particular interest in subtropical design and planting design and establishment and has travelled widely to investigate practices here and abroad.

Daniel Baffsky

BLA (hons), BEc,
Registered Landscape Architect
Principal
360 degrees

With experience in a wide range of significant landscape projects locally, regionally and internationally, Daniel has has quickly developed 3600 into a practice highly-regarded for innovative design, cultural sensitivity and ecological integrity.  Daniel is responsible for creative direction and client liaison and directly oversees all aspects of 3600 ‘s work and his background in investment banking, marketing and tourism ensures a cross-disciplinary understanding of project dynamics. 

After completing his studies in New Zealand, Daniel was part of the design team responsible for Cathedral Square, Christchurch and Parliament House, Wellington.  Shortly after returning to Australia in 2001, Daniel formed 3600  and the practice’s first commissions were a number of heritage-listed adaptive reuse projects which required green-roof or ‘on-slab’ solutions.  These included Westons’ Biscuit Factory, Silos and most notably, M Central, which was awarded a 2007 AILA NSW award for design.  3600 now undertakes a broad base of commissions including public works, retail, hotels and resorts, playspaces, and medium-density, multi-unit and private residential projects.  Recently completed work includes Flour Mill Studios, Newtown; Hickory Bay, NZ; Ivy, Sydney; and Sam Fiszman Park, Bondi.

. 

David Button

Director
JAWSARCHITECTS

David is a Director with well known Tasmanian architectural practice, JAWSARCHITECTS.

His interest in ecologically sustainable buildings dates back to the late 1970s and his first passive solar house in Mount Nelson.

This interest has helped guide JAWSARCHITECTS with sound principles of solar assisted thermal designs in many of their innovative award winning buildings.

A continuing interest in heritage buildings and their conservation and creative reuse is aided by his role on the Works Assessment Committee of the Tasmanian Heritage Council.

An adolescent involvement in rock music laid the foundations to an understanding of the complex problems associated with expanding a university union bar which was in danger of being closed because of neighbourhood complaints when loud rock music concerts were held.

Geoffrey Wilson

Founder and Immediate Past President 
Green Roofs Australia Inc.

Geoff Wilson is a retired Australian journalist who founded Green Roofs Australia Inc in 2007, and was its first President.  He is also Australian representative and Director of Communications of the company which runs the World Green Roof Infrastructure Network from offices in Toronto, Canada. His journalistic career over 50 years was firstly in ordinary agribusiness in livestock and cropping industries, but his interest changed to agroforestry in the 1970s -- then to urban agriculture and microfarming onwards from the early 1990s.  For 10 years to 1992, Geoff was the weekly columnist in agribusiness for "The Age" daily newspaper, in Melbourne.  He also edited and published rural industry magazines and newspapers in Australia and contribted to publications in Asia, the United States and Europe.  His honorary work included being executive director of the International Tree Crops Institute from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, and a committee member of the Aquaculture Association of Queensland for thtee years until 2007.  His current honorary work in green roofs and green walls is based on the belief that they (with allied subjects such as urban aquaculture, urban aquaponics and urban vermiculture), will be an important climate change response for application in the next five to 10 years.

Dr Grace Mitchell

Senior Research Fellow
Monash University

Grace Mitchell is a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Water Resources at Monash University.  She is eWater CRC’s Deputy Program Leader of Water Management and the  Project Leader of the Urban Water Management research project.  Grace’s interest in vegetated roofs as a stormwater and urban microclimate management tool has resulted in the development of a collaborative project between Monash University and Melbourne Water. Grace is also leads a research collaboration between the universities of Monash, Melbourne and New South Wales investigating the risks and benefits of stormwater harvesting.

Grace has extensive experience in the field of stormwater harvesting, Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) and total urban water cycle planning and modelling, having authored over 50 referred scientific publications in journals, books and conference proceedings.  In addition to her research activities she is a member of the Stormwater Working Group for Phase 2 of the National Guidelines for Water Recycling (NRMMC and EPHC) and a member of the Victorian EPA’s working groups for Alternative Urban Water Supplies: Rainwater and Alternative Urban Water Supplies: Stormwater. 

Graeme Hopkins

Principal Urban Designer (Metro)
Planning SA - Urban and Regional Projects
Primary Industries and Resources SA

Graeme Hopkins is the Principal Urban Designer (Metro) with Planning SA, Adjunct Associate Professor (The University of Adelaide School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design) and is a Registered Landscape Architect and Registered Architect.  His particular focus is on developing a sustainable urban environment, including using natural systems and enhancing ecological habitats especially integrating green roofs and living walls within the metropolitan area.

Graeme received a Churchill Fellowship in 2005 to study green rooftops and living walls in USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. He is also a director of Fifth Creek Studio: landscape architecture, public art and urban design, where he conducts research on green roofs and living walls.  Fifth Creek Studio has won national and state awards in architecture, landscape architecture and heritage.

Jim Osborne

Principal, Material Landscape Architecture

Jim founded Material Landscape Architecture after designing for 10 years in New York, Rio de Janero and Sydney. His design experience combined with a rural upbringing, have given him an intrinsic understanding of the landscape as an organic dynamic.

Material is based in Surry Hills Sydney with a staff of seven landscape architects, horticulturalists and landscape designers. Involved in over forty projects a year from small courtyards to multi million dollar developments, rural holdings and more recently a number of green roof projects including a commission from the City of Sydney, Material has quickly adapted to an ever changing urban setting.

Instilled in the team is Jim’s proud commitment to the environment and an ability to understand each individual client.

Roles
Registered Landscape Architect, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
Environment Chair and Executive Committee, NSW Chapter, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
Committee member, Genoa River Interstate Liaison Committee

Papers
‘Landscape Architects Response to Global Warming’ September 2007, AILDM Global Warming Seminar

John Stephens

Stephens Valuation Services

John is a registered Property Valuer, Licenced Real Estate Agent with many years experience in both business and valuation, John became interested in the new wave of Green Roofs and sustainability more than five years ago his particular interest “Green Value”   the result being the direct finding that green building features and practices can and do benefit the market value of a real estate asset in many ways.

Not only does Green add value but also has social and workplace benefits as well, which in many cases has been overlooked in Australia by the designers of the   Australian version of Green Buildings.

The Australian market has been very slow to accept the findings of overseas research and construction methods; this has been confirmed by a question John recently asked The Managing Director of an Australian major construction company,
Question:  had he considered a “Green Roof” on his new multimillion dollar development.
Reply was no, but was sending a team to the USA to investigate “Green Roofs” well that’s a start

Unfortunately, the Australian Real Estate and Valuation and to some extent the construction industry in general tend to view the “Green Roof ‘ as a new fad.
Traditional methods of valuation have obscured the fact that green buildings bring real business benefits and increased market value.
Yet if these commercial opportunities are to be grasped, Valuers need to take a fresh look at the ways in which they view the effect of green features and related performance on asset value.

Kirsten Raynor

Research Assistant 
The University of Melbourne

Kirsten Raynor is a Research Assistant at the Burnley Campus of the University of Melbourne. She is currently working on green roof substrate design with John Rayner and Nick Williams. Kirsten completed the Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Horticulture) in 2000 and is currently enrolled in the Master of Urban Horticulture. She has also worked for the Royal Horticultural Society at their flagship garden, Wisley, in the UK. 

 

Mark Paul

Ex-Parrot Pty Ltd

Ex-Parrot Pty Ltd began some 25 years ago, born out of a passion for nature and design by Horticulturalist and Marine Biologist Mark Paul.
 
The challenge for Mark as a teenager was that an acre of land on a sloping site had to be mown on a regular basis after school. This fostered an early interest in bush regeneration, from seed and cuttings. By the end of high school a ‘no-mow’ native garden resulted with an extensive collection of epiphytes. Mark has worked for CSIRO, Fisheries and Oceanography on estuaries and coral reefs. His personal passion for sail boarding resulted in Mark representing Australia in sail boarding internationally. He was the creative force behind the successful ‘Bombora’ sailboards as well as winning Australian Design Awards he applied his artistic design talents to a range of industries and other leading brands including Mambo and his own export range of clothing.
 
In the early 90s Mark re-focused his passion towards landscape design and has built on the Ex-Parrot brand by developing the innovative Greenwall Company.
 
Ex-Parrot specializes in Australian Native Gardens, Tropical Australasian gardens and water features. Mark Paul and Ex-Parrot Landscape have completed several successful projects abroad.

Mike Horne

Landscape Architect & Urban Designer
Master of Urban Design (University of Sydney)
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (University of Canberra)
Registered Landscape Architect, AILA

Mike Horne is Managing Principal of Turf Design Studio, a design practice specialising in landscape architecture and urban design. The practice combines international and local projects with an ongoing interest in practice based research and experiment.

Mike’s project experience focuses on large scale projects including the design and implementation of Sydney Olympic Park up to and including the Olympic Games, The Athens Olympic Village and currently the Sydney University Public Domain, the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Athletes Village and Frasers Broadway, the former Tooths Brewery site at Broadway Sydney.

Mike has had an ongoing fascination with emergent landscape technologies that can improve long term sustainability of our urban environment.  He led development of structural soil and permeable pavements systems at Sydney Olympic Park and more recently has focused on Green Roofs and Vertical Gardens.

Mike’s paper will focus on three projects: the Salad Bar Vertical garden first developed by his studio for the Future Gardens Exhibition; the Faculty of Law forecourt /green roof at the University of Sydney and sustainability innovations at Frasers Broadway.

Dr Nicholas (Nick) Williams

Lecturer - Urban Horticulture and Plant Ecology
Department of Resource Management and Geography
Graduate School of Land and Environment
The University of Melbourne

Dr Williams is a plant ecologist who has conducted most of his research in urban areas. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne in 2007 he worked for ten years at The Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology (ARCUE) at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

Nick’s research has addressed both theoretical and applied ecological questions while advancing the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in human dominated landscapes. Current research interests include native grassland ecology, understanding how plant traits influence invasions, extinctions and the homogenisation of urban floras and the use of urban vegetation to achieve multiple simultaneous environmental benefits (i.e. reduced pollution, energy efficiency, noise attenuation and biodiversity conservation).

Together with colleagues at Melbourne University’s Burnley campus he has established a green roof research program that is investigating the suitability of plants and substrates for green roofs in the Australian environment.

Susan Loh

Lecturer
Queensland University of Technolog

Susan Loh is a lecturer at the School of Design, Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane. She has also worked as a researcher at the Centre for Subtropical Design, QUT. She graduated in architecture from Ottawa, Canada and has ten years architectural experience; working in Canada and Australia on aged care, commercial and residential buildings. Her main research interests and teaching topics are in Living Walls and sustainable and climatically responsive buildings