Burnley campus facilities
Burnley has been a centre for teaching and research in Urban Horticulture since 1891, and is situated within the beautiful heritage-listed Burnley Gardens.
Build understanding and innovate with world-class experts and equipment.
University of Melbourne students, staff and partners enjoy access to advanced R&D facilities, expert advice, and technical support. We welcome R&D partnerships or fee-for-service contracts with businesses, governments, communities, and research organisations. Our network of collaborative relationships spans the globe.
To discuss your research and innovation needs, connect with the research group under the relevant facility below. For more information about our Burnley campus, including how to get there, visit Burnley campus on the Faculty of Science website.
Green roofs
The roof of the Main Building at Burnley campus provides research infrastructure that is unique in Australia. It comprises three ‘green roofs’, each approximately 15m2, with different depths (10, 15 and 20cm), and a similar area of bare roof that acts as an experimental control. Each roof area drains to a separate point, where we measure stormwater runoff. Each green roof is monitored with a heat flux plate, thermocouples at different depths, and a soil moisture sensor. A weather station tracks the local climate.
Contact: Green Infrastructure Research Group
Ecophysiology laboratory
We have a range of equipment (some portable, for field-use) for studying plants’ physiological responses to the environment.
Contact: Ecophysiology and Flux
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Water relations
- Pressure chambers (3000 Series SoilMoisture and Model 600 PMS)
- Xylem vulnerability (CaviCams)
- Stem psychrometer (PSY1)
- Sap flux (HeatPulser, Edwards)
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Gas exchange
- Licor LI-6400 IRGA
- Licor LI-6800 IRGA
- Licor LI-600 porometer/fluorometer
- Licor LI-1600 porometer
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Osmometry & non-structural carbohydrates (NSC)
- Freezing point osmometer (Gonotech Osmomat 030)
- Mircotiterplate reader for enzymatic NSC
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Leaf area, fine roots, tree growth and structure
- Licor LI3100 leaf area meter
- Mini Rhizotron (CI-602 In Situ Root Imager)
- Point dendrometers (Natkon ZN12-T-WP)
- Terrestrial Lidar Scanner (LEAF Mk III)
Tree-ring laboratory
We are equipped for:
- collecting, preparing, measuring, and analysing tree-ring samples and data, and
- assessing wood properties at the cellular scale using the SilviScan system – high-resolution imaging, densitometry, and diffractometry.
Contact: Landscape and Forest Dynamics (LaForDy)
Sustainable and renewable forest products
We design, fabricate and test innovative, high-performance products engineered from sustainably managed forest and agricultural resources, including solid and laminated lignocellulosic materials. Our key equipment includes:
- hot and cold presses
- an accelerated weathering unit to simulate outdoor exposure
- three large, conditioning rooms for precise control of temperature and relative ambient humidity
- laboratory and solar kilns to dry timber, and
- instruments to test adhesives and finishing systems.