Victorian Desalination Plant
Wonthaggi, Australia
290,626 sf Extensive Greenroof
(Video)

Greenroofs.com Featured Project June 23, 2022

The many powerful aspects of Nature take center stage in this Featured Project Series showcase: the outstanding Victorian Desalination Plant in Wonthaggi, Australia. From the power needed to desalinate water (the plant’s power requirements are 100% offset by renewable energy) to the recreation of the natural dune ecosystem present before development using all native plants indigenous to the area, the Victorian Desalination Plant is green infrastructure at its finest.

The Victorian Desalination Plant. Image: Sika Cambodia

Needing a resilient fresh water supply to the Melbourne area when water storage levels were critically low, the forward-thinking Victorian Government greatly researched appropriate desalination sites, methodologies, and environmental and cultural considerations before site construction commencement.

The controversial plan was heavily debated and finally completed in 2012, yet the plant didn’t produce its first water order until 2016. Interestingly, the plant is not currently producing water as it completed the 2021-22 water order earlier this month. It is expected, however, to start delivering the 2022-23 water order of 15 gigalitres in September/October 2022.

Image: Fytogreen Australia

The Victorian Desalination Plant plays a critical role in Melbourne’s water future, and does so responsibly and sustainably, serving as an excellent example for the rest of the world to emulate. Kudos to all!

The Victorian Desalination Plant uses reverse osmosis technology to separate salt from seawater to create high quality drinking water. Image: Victoria State Government

Excerpt from the Greenroofs.com Project Profile:

A private/public partnership between Victorian Government and Aquasure, the Victorian Desalination Plant in Wonthaggi represents the largest public sector investment in water infrastructure in Australia’s history. Using reverse osmosis technology to separate salt from seawater to create high quality drinking water, the project underpins water security for Melbourne and surrounding regions.

The design brief was to replicate what would have been growing there prior to human habitation on this ecologically sensitive coastal area. Since the dunes were missing, ARM Architecture surrounded the plant with new ones to help conceal it visually and acoustically.

Image: Fytogreen Australia

Requiring a design which made the structure barely visible from all public viewing points, the plant is covered with a 27,000 square meter living tapestry of indigenous plants making it the largest green roof in the southern hemisphere. And the 225-hectare site will become a re-vegetated native parkland and ecological preserve.

The landscape architecture firm of ASPECT Studios chose native species tolerant of high heat, salt drift, drought, and wind. Around 110,000 tube stocks of indigenous ground covers, sedges, lilies, succulents, and non-wood shrubs were used. They say the project uses only on-site water capture and has returned local fauna, including endangered species and internationally significant migratory birds.

Image: Fytogreen Australia

Image: Aquasure

Amenities within the ecological reserve include 8km of pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian trails; wayfinding and interpretation including indigenous history of the Bunurong/Boon wurrung people of the Kulin nation, their uses of the land and the effects of European settlement; boardwalks for discovering bird hides; viewing decks; and picnic shelters.

The site and scale of the green roof presented a number of challenges, and the slopes vary considerably from 1 – 22%. Designer and installer Fytogreen Australia maintained several test beds at various slopes during the research phase. The waterproofing membrane had to allow for potential movement from kilometers of joints, and the Sika Sarnafil system was chosen.

Image: Victorian Government

More

A project of formidable scale, the Victorian Desalination Plant is part water treatment infrastructure and part environmental restoration.

Its sensitive combination of living architecture and green infrastructure transforms degraded land into mosaics of coastal and swampy woodlands, wetlands, and dune ecologies.

Image: Fytogreen Australia

Image: Fytogreen Australia

Year: 2012
Owner: Government of Victoria and Aquasure
Location:Wonthaggi, Australia
Building Program: Industrial
Greenroof Type: Extensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 290,626 sq.ft.
Slope: 1 – 22%
Test/Research: Yes
Access: Inaccessible
Privacy: Private

Image: Fytogreen Australia

Credits:

ARCHITECT:
ARM/ PECKVONHARTEL

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:
ASPECT STUDIOS

DESIGN, INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE:
FYTOGREEN AUSTRALIA

CIVIL ENGINEER:
BECA

WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE:
SIKA SARNAFIL

PLANT OPERATOR:
AQUASURE

Image: Fytogreen Australia

See the Project Profile

See the Victorian Desalination Plant Project Profile to view ALL of the Photos and Additional Information about this particular project in the Greenroofs.com Projects Database.

Image: Fytogreen Australia

Did we miss your contribution? Please let us know to add you to the Project Profile.

Would you like one of your projects to be featured on Greenroofs.com? Read how, and remember we have to have a profile first! Submit Your Project Profile.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof (or Wall)!

By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host