From The Rooftops

An outstanding rooftop garden that is sure to increase morale at this forward-thinking company

- April Ossington

We know the benefits of a beautiful garden for our homes, but what about at work? An increasing number of companies are going that extra mile by supplying a beautifully landscaped outdoor space for their employees to enjoy. One such example is this rooftop garden at Pentana Solutions, an automotive software company in Melbourne’s Mount Waverley. The team at Ian Barker Gardens were commissioned to design and construct a relaxing, social space for the company’s staff to utilise while at work. “This was a fantastic creative opportunity for our design team as this garden just happened to be situated on a rooftop, offering the chance to create something truly spectacular and a little quirky,” says director, Ian Barker.

“The brief was to take an ugly, disused roof space and transform it into something that would not only be stunning to look at, but encourage staff to head outside and get some fresh air before they went back to work,”  says Ian. “We first looked to departmentalize the large space into areas that would have different uses. These were to include a medium-sized space for presentations for up to 100 people e, a shade area with tables and chairs for comfortable outdoor dining, as well as some smaller private spaces where staff could have a moment to relax. These areas would be softened with a natural planting palette.”