GREEN ROOF SYSTEMS

Collaborative research and development of green roof system technology

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'In the last 20 years green roofs (vegetated layers that sit on top of the conventional roof surfaces of a building) have become relatively commonplace in Germany, Austria and Switzerland because of their role in urban stormwater management. In particular, the so-called ‘extensive’ green roof technology (very lightweight, low maintenance, vegetated roof surfaces) has been adopted widely because of its capacity to be ‘retro-fitted’ onto existing buildings, or incorporated onto new buildings without the need for major structural modification or support. Specific benefits of green roofs include: a) Overall reduction of rainfall run-off and attenuation of storm run-off; b) Summer cooling and reducing the urban heat island effect; c) Contribution to biodiversity e.g. ground-nesting birds; d) Improved quality of life for urban citizens; e) Extended roof life: a roof life is at least doubled with the addition of a green roof. This project seeks to establish a long term partnership between a leading commercial provider of green roof technology (Zinco) and an internationally leading research institution (University of Sheffield) through a collaborative programme of research and development and a suite of knowledge transfer activities. The project brings together established academic researchers with technicians, engineers and marketing specialists from Zinco each with highly relevant expertise in key areas. There is a balance of longer term and short term staff exchanges at different levels throughout the programme as well as recruitment of experienced researchers to fulfill particular tasks within the collaborative programme. This innovative programme of interdisciplinary research is targeted to fill a research gap that is constraining the development and exploitation of urban green roof technologies in the EU.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Green roofs are an effective strategy for beautifying the built environment, mitigating the effects of climate change, and helping plant and plant species to thrive in urban areas. An EU-funded initiative brought together public and private sector partners to improve upon current green roof technology.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

A green roof is a roof of a building that is covered with vegetation. Although turf roofs have existed in Scandinavia for hundreds of years, modern green roof technology was originally developed in Germany before spreading around the world. This technology can reduce rainfall runoff, provide cooling in summer, increase biodiversity and extend the working life of the roof.

However, in the last five years modern green roofs have changed somewhat to reflect improvements in aesthetic appearance, biodiversity and ability to reduce stormwater runoff. Furthermore, there is a growing demand for accessible green roof systems that are not only more attractive but also use fewer resources and require less maintenance.

The 'Collaborative research and development of green roof system technology' (http://www.greenroofsystems.co.uk (GREEN ROOF SYSTEMS)) project was set up to develop and exploit urban green roof technologies in the EU. The initiative involved collaboration between a leading commercial technology provider and the United Kingdom's University of Sheffield, a renowned research institute.

A rigorous and standardised plant screening programme was established to test the suitability of different plant species for green roofs. The work centred on the survival of plants under moisture stress at different depths of growing medium. In addition, a detailed record was made during the growing season of plant performance following experimental treatments.

Test procedures were developed for use with a pressure plate extraction technique that assessed the release of water from a variety of green roof substrates and individual components. A rainfall simulator was also used to determine the hydrological properties of different green roof components.

The work of the GREEN ROOF SYSTEMS project will help improve the technology by revisiting the fundamental basis of green roof system design. This new approach will provide a deeper understanding of these systems, enabling them to face fresh challenges.