Floating Garden Trial Tackles Urban Heat in Parramatta’s CBD

Innovative floating garden trays have been helping cool down Centenary and Parramatta Squares this summer as part of a heat reduction experiment by Future Village.

Following the success of last year’s trial in Parramatta Square, the project has now expanded to cover 58 square metres in the heart of Parramatta, featuring 600 plants and 60 additional trays placed outside Accor Stadium. The goal is to assess the impact and scalability of moveable garden trays in public spaces, making them more comfortable during extreme heat.

City of Parramatta Lord Mayor, Cr Martin Zaiter, highlighted the positive response from the community.

“Residents and visitors rated the project 4.5 out of 5 stars last year, telling us the floating gardens improved the look and feel of our public spaces. Bringing the program back was an easy decision,” Cr Zaiter said.

“Although still in its early stages, the plants are proving to cool down public areas, creating a mini urban oasis for our community.

We’re proud to lead the way in sustainable initiatives—our PHIVE project has been recognized globally for excellence in sustainable design, and Parramatta Square was the first in Australia to achieve carbon-neutral certification for a public domain.”

The trial is funded by the NSW Government through the Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer’s Small Business Innovation & Research (SBIR) Program and is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney.

Future Village Director, Ben Perry, emphasized the significance of expanding the project.

“Our initial results confirm that floating gardens effectively cool public spaces,” Mr. Perry said.

“By conducting a larger trial, we can validate these findings and determine the green space required to keep temperatures below 36°C on extremely hot days.”

NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, praised the initiative.

“Future Village’s floating garden solution is both aesthetic and effective, making our cities more livable in hot weather. I commend the company and the City of Parramatta for their forward-thinking approach,” he said.

The floating gardens will remain in place until April, after which the plants will be repurposed for future projects.

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