Making Melbourne Sustainable

Fri 15th February 08 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Design tent

hosted by | City of Melbourne

The road to sustainability is paralleled by the road to liveability. Melbourne is an excellent case study on where the future of cities lies and the strategies required to achieve success.

This presentation will look at the Melbourne case study and illustrate the path taken to ensure a better sustainable and liveable future. The focus of the presentation will be on city wide initiatives that will include case studies on buildings such as CH² and East Melbourne Library, the solar panels at Queen Victoria Market and the initiatives to improve the City’s green footprint.

Melbourne has set itself the ambitious target of zero emissions in the central area by 2020. We will need to work closely with the community, industry, business and governmental parties to achieve this ambitious target.

The presentation discusses what has already been done and what will need to be done over the next calendar year if Melbourne is to remain a leader in city design and sustainability



Rob Adams

Rob Adams is one of the champions of urban design in Australia with over 30 years experience as a practising designer. Rob has been awarded an Order of Australia for services to urban design, town planning and architecture.

As Director Design & Urban Environment he is one of 5 directors at the City of Melbourne. Through this portfolio, Rob put in place the first comprehensive urban design strategy for the city. He has guided its implementation from the strategic vision and projects such as the City’s revitalisation project, QV, Birrarung Marr, Queensbridge Precinct, and CH² through to the detailed bluestone paving, street furniture, lighting, signage and tree planting.

More recently he has made a significant contribution to the City’s ‘Zero Emissions 2020’ project through CH², Australia’s first six star commercial building, East Melbourne Library and the Queen Victoria Market solar installations.

He has a keen interest in the links between practice and education and helped establish an urban design course in Zimbabwe in 1978-80. In June 2004, the University of Melbourne recognised Rob’s contribution to the University and the city with the title of Professorial Fellow within the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.

Rob has acted as a consultant and specialist designer to many of the major cities within Australia and New Zealand.



City of Melbourne Events

  •  | talk

    The EcoEDGE 2 forum will engage some the world’s sustainability leaders in tackling the economic, aesthetic and ethical dimensions in making sustainable cities.
    Thu 14th - Sat 16th | 10:00am - 6:00pm

  •  | talk

    Jill Singer, Norman Day, Enrique Penalosa, Denton, Peter Mould, Santha Sheela Nair, Bernard Khoury
    Thu 14th | 6:00pm - 9:00pm

  •  | talk

    The presentation will include national and international sustainability experts like :
    Sat 16th | 4:00pm - 5:45pm

  •  | talk

    Rob Adams
    Fri 15th | 3:00pm - 4:00pm

  •  | interactive

    An exhibition of drawings, photographs, sound and models illustrating the work of Architects Without Frontiers (Australia)
    Thu 14th - Sat 16th | 10:00am - 6:00pm

  •  | interactive

    A group of Rajasthani potters will visit the Festival this year with human powered stone throwing wheels.
    Fri 15th | 11:00pm - 3:00pm