Fun With Roofs

This project explores the latent potential of overlooked architectural spaces—rooftops—as catalysts for community connection and multifunctional urban revitalization. The design began with an in-depth analysis of Mitcham’s demographic and spatial dynamics, revealing a pressing need for inclusive workspaces, child-friendly zones, and interactive public spaces. Recognizing the Generator Business Centre's strategic location amidst nurseries, community gardens, and residential clusters, the concept evolved to reimagine rooftops as active, accessible platforms. The planning process prioritized continuity with the site's existing social fabric, ensuring that each added function—offices, children’s activity zones, gathering spaces—served real, everyday routines. Iterations began with exploratory ideas around community upcycling before pivoting to a more site-specific and scalable solution. The final scheme demonstrates careful programmatic layering, where structural modifications (such as pitched roof removal and ramped connections) are seamlessly integrated with environmental strategies like solar energy and rainwater runoff. Every design decision—from massing to circulation—was rooted in contextual empathy, technical feasibility, and long-term sustainability. This project reframes rooftops not just as passive shelters but as active agents of social architecture.