CH2 Building Melbourne

Photograph supplied City of Melbbourne photographer David Hannah October 2022

The building was built by Hansen Yuncken and was Australia’s first building to be awarded a six Green Star design rating and was officially opened in August 2006. The building was designed with many experimental systems which allowed a critical analysis of their effectiveness.

The initial design including large planter boxes with climbing plants, however these failed to fully establish. In 2022 studio LAB xeric was contacted by city architect Rob Adams, to install a pilot xeric Tillandsia screen and continue the philosophy of experimentation on the building. Notice the raven nest on the far lower right. The xeric screens are installed with no watering system with the plants relying entirely on their evolved biology. The installation is also 100% plastic free!

Photo Dec 2023

The Tillandsias flower every year and dead flower spikes are visible from a previous flowering.

In October 2023, the xeric Tillandsia screen had been installed 10 levels up on CH2 Building for over 6 months. Photo Oct 2023

So how does it stack up?

Tillandsia xeric screen, CH2 Building (Council House 2 Building), Melbourne installed October 3rd 2022.

Along side the Tillandsia screen a select number of test species were mounted on the guard rail at the top of the building.

Test Tillandsia plants were also suspended between existing tensioned wires where climbing plants have struggled to establish. The idea is to test the plants in a location where full xeric Tillandsia screens can be installed to create shade in the future.