Chats for the Goals: Biosolar Roofs for a Sustainable City
Description
In this event, Assoicate Professor Peter Irga, Ralph Fares and Marcelle Tiller from the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology will discuss the UTS research which established the evidence base for mandatory 80% biosolar green roof coverage across every building in Bradfield City.
Rapid urban development in space-constrained environments leaves residents without access to the ecological and environmental benefits that green infrastructure provides. Bradfield City Centre, Australia’s newest city is located in Western Sydney adjacent to the Western Sydney International Airport, and is a 114-hectare high-tech hub currently under development, designed to deliver 10,000 homes, 20,000 jobs, and extensive public spaces.
In this landmark project, Bradfield City’s First Building, is integrating living green roofs with solar energy generation based on proven sustainability research from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). This presentation will explore how the biosolar roof integrates 14,000 native Cumberland Plain plants with photovoltaic (PV) panels, and present the findings across five domains, biodiversity, thermal performance, photovoltaic efficiency, air quality, and stormwater management, which confirm that the biosolar green roof is delivering measurable environmental benefits from the outset of the city's development.
This event is part of UTS Global Goals Month 2026. Explore more of the Global Goals Month program here.
About the Presenter
Dr Peter Irga
Dr Peter Irga is an Associate Professor and ARC DECRA Fellow who is a leader in the growing field of innovative nature-based biological air treatment technologies to counter the growing challenges of high levels of air pollution in our cities. Dr Irga has made major contributions towards the development of broad scope air cleaning systems based on green walls, known as botanical biofilters, to the stage where they have become an emergent technology, with multiple projects across NSW. Dr Irga is also a leader in biosolar green roofs and agrivoltaics. Dr Irga’s current research focus is to comprehensively examine the performance of nature based systems in situ, to both quantify the true value of these systems in practice, and to identify areas for the next stages of development. In his field, Dr Irga is currently ranked 1st worldwide (SciVal Topic T.26706), built on his growing research record, with 80+ publications (H-index 36) and an accumulated total of $7.5M in research income, including ARC funding. Dr Irga is increasingly recognised as a leader in his field by industry, having played a pivotal role in the delivery of high-level industry consultancies with a combined value of $4.54M. In 2022, Dr Irga received the prestigious Tall Poppy Science Award from the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, and in 2025 the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) Award for Academic Work. Holistically, his work aims to demonstrate that nature based systems and living infrastructure provide our cities with not only natural beauty, but also happier and healthier people.
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