Seasonal heat flux properties of an extensive green roof in a Midwestern U.S. climate

Green roofs, or vegetated roofs, can reduce heat flux magnitude through a building envelope as a result of insulation provided by the growing medium, shading from the plant canopy, and transpirational cooling provided by the plants. This study quantifies the thermal properties of an inverted 325 m² retro-fitted extensive green roof versus a traditional gravel ballasted inverted roof in a Midwestern U.S. climate characterized by hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. In autumn, green roof temperatures were consistently 5 °C lower than corresponding gravel roof temperatures. Even during chilly and moist conditions, the heat flux leaving the building was lower for the green roof than the gravel roof. Temperatures at the top of the insulation layer were more variable for both green roof and gravel roof on winter days with no snow cover than on days with snow cover. Variation in temperatures between roof types in spring was similar to those in autumn. Peak temperature differences between gravel and green roof were larger in summer than other seasons (sometimes by as much as 20 °C). Over the course of a year (September 2005-August 2006), maximum and minimum average monthly temperatures and heat fluxes were consistently more extreme for the gravel roof than the green roof.     

Biophysical properties and thermal performance of an intensive green roof

Green roofs have been increasingly enlisted to alleviate urban environmental problems associated with urban heat island effect and stormwater quantity and quality. Most studies focus on extensive green roofs, with inadequate assessment of the complex intensive type, subtropical region, and thermal insulation effect. This study examines the physical properties, biological processes, and thermal insulation performance of an intensive green roof through four seasons. An experimental woodland installed on a Hong Kong building rooftop was equipped with environmental sensors to monitor microclimatic and soil parameters. The excellent thermal performance of the intensive green roof is verified. Even though our site has a 100 cm thick soil to support tree growth, we found that a thin soil layer of 10 cm is sufficient to reduce heat penetration into building. Seasonal weather variations notably control transpiration and associated cooling effect. The tree canopy reduces solar radiation reaching the soil surface, but the trapped air increases air temperature near the soil surface. The substrate operates an effective heat sink to dampen temperature fluctuations. In winter, the subtropical green roof triggers notable heat loss from the substrate into the ambient air, and draws heat upwards from warmer indoor air to increase energy consumption to warm indoor air. This finding deviates from temperate latitude studies. The results offer hints to optimize the design and thermal performance of intensive green roofs.     

In-situ measurements of sound propagating over extensive green roofs

In this study, in-situ measurements of sound propagating over flat, extensive green roofs are presented for 5 cases. Measurements were performed just before and just after the placement of the green roof (under dry conditions) with an identical source-receiver configuration in both situations, allowing a direct estimate of the acoustical effect. Situations involving a single and double diffraction over the green roof were considered, for substrate thicknesses ranging from 20–30 mm to 180 mm, and for vegetation cover ranging from absence to 100%. The green roof acoustic effect was analyzed for propagation path lengths interacting with the roofs ranging from 2.5 m to 25 m. Measurements show that green roofs might lead to consistent and significant sound reduction at locations where only diffracted sound waves arrive relative to common, non-vegetated roofs. A single diffraction case with an acoustic green roof improvement exceeding 10 dB was found for sound frequencies between 400 Hz and 1250 Hz, although the green roof interaction path length was only 4.5 m. For less shielded receivers, a change in interference pattern might be observed, leading to positive or negative effects, relative to a non-vegetated roof top. For the double diffraction cases the green roof improvement is less frequency-dependent and a case with positive effects up to 10 dB was found.     

Ecological energetics of tropical intensive green roof

Few green roof studies cover intensive and tropical types and specific canopy microclimate. We examined the ecological energetics of a sky woodland in humid-tropical Hong Kong. Environmental sensors monitored the microclimatic and soil parameters for 14 months. Key biophysical variables of transpiration, wind, light, and through-canopy energy flux are modeled to investigate seasonal and weather effects. The woodland forms a cloistered subcanopy environment with rather stable microclimate. Transpiration and latent heat loss are enhanced by solar radiation and low relative humidity, but less by wind. On sunny days, about 20% of incident solar radiation can reach the soil surface. The canopy reflected more near-infrared radiation (NIR) than photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), highlighting a hitherto neglected passive-cooling mechanism. The highest transpiration rate occurs in autumn rather than summer due to dry-mild weather. The woodland canopy could reduce 300 W m⁻² energy flux into the substrate. The canopy warmed by solar energy transmits heat to subcanopy air. Latent and sensible heat loss in the subcanopy domain is suppressed, thus dampening the passive-cooling effect. The capability of the tropical intensive green roof to reduce temperature is relatively inefficient comparing with temperate region counterparts. The findings could inform design and choice of green roofs.     

Modeling the reduction of urban excess heat by green roofs with respect to different irrigation scenarios

Urban heat reduction by evaporative cooling from extensive green roofs is explored by applying irrigation scenarios to green roofs located in different climate zones using a coupled atmosphere-vegetation-substrate green roof model. The model,which is integrated in the building energy simulation software Energy Plus,is validated with eddy covariance surface energy fluxes from a green roof in Berlin,Germany. The original model wasmodified to include interception and an improved runoff calculation. Three irrigation scenarios were defined( no irrigation,sustainable irrigation by harvested runoff water,unrestricted irrigation) to study the heat reduction potential in terms of surface energy partitioning and sensible heat fluxes( QH). The irrigation scenarios are compared to two white roofs( albedo equal to 0. 35 and 0. 65) and a black roof.High correlation of sensible and latent heat( QE) fluxes between measured and modelled data for the original and the modified version of the green roof model were observed( for the original model,R~2= 0. 91 and 0. 81 for QH and QE,respectively,while for the modified version R~2= 0. 91 and 0. 80,respectively). The modified version was applied to study irrigation,due to lower systematic errors for QH,QEand better performance for the substrate moisture content. In comparison to a black roof the green roof reduces urban excess heat by 15%-51%with sustainable irrigation,by 48%-75%with unrestricted irrigation,but drops to 3% for unirrigated roofs in the different cities. Sustainable irrigation can be effective in climates with high annual( or summerly) precipitation.     

Effects of wind on the transmission heat loss in duo-pitched insulated roofs: A field study

This article presents measuring results of the thermal performance of duo-pitched tiled woodframe roof designs. The roofs have been monitored in a test building, exposed to the outside climate. The experiment was part of a programme to study the hygrothermal performance of highly insulated envelope parts in situ, in order to investigate whether a good thermal quality (U = 0.2 W/(m² K)) is achievable with current residential construction practices in Belgium. The results show the effect of wind on the thermal performance of duo-pitched roofs. The measured thermal properties of the roof components are compared to the design values, and related to the wind speeds and directions registered near the test building. The established thermal effects are explained using tracer gas tests to show the pattern of wind driven air flow in the roofs.     

The effect of roofing material on the quality of harvested rainwater

Due to decreases in the availability and quality of traditional water resources, harvested rainwater is increasingly used for potable and non-potable purposes. In this study, we examined the effect of conventional roofing materials (i.e., asphalt fiberglass shingle, Galvalume^® metal, and concrete tile) and alternative roofing materials (i.e., cool and green) on the quality of harvested rainwater. Results from pilot-scale and full-scale roofs demonstrated that rainwater harvested from any of these roofing materials would require treatment if the consumer wanted to meet United States Environmental Protection Agency primary and secondary drinking water standards or non-potable water reuse guidelines; at a minimum, first-flush diversion, filtration, and disinfection are recommended. Metal roofs are commonly recommended for rainwater harvesting applications, and this study showed that rainwater harvested from metal roofs tends to have lower concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria as compared to other roofing materials. However, concrete tile and cool roofs produced harvested rainwater quality similar to that from the metal roofs, indicating that these roofing materials also are suitable for rainwater harvesting applications. Although the shingle and green roofs produced water quality comparable in many respects to that from the other roofing materials, their dissolved organic carbon concentrations were very high (approximately one order of magnitude higher than what is typical for a finished drinking water in the United States), which might lead to high concentrations of disinfection byproducts after chlorination. Furthermore the concentrations of some metals (e.g., arsenic) in rainwater harvested from the green roof suggest that the quality of commercial growing media should be carefully examined if the harvested rainwater is being considered for domestic use. Hence, roofing material is an important consideration when designing a rainwater catchment.     

绿色屋顶的结构及材料

论文简述了绿色屋顶环境效益、分类和体系结构系统。论述了根阻层、排水层、滤水垫层、栽培基质层和植被层的作用和基本厚度。同时,针对不同系统的绿色屋顶讨论了材料的运用。     

种植屋面系统工程中常见问题探析

就种植屋面系统工程中的常见问题，如屋面结构层次设计、阻根材料的判定和选择、种植土、植被等．进行了探讨和分析，并针对问题提出了建议、     

Life cycle energy of single landed houses in Indonesia

Building enclosures contribute 10–50% of the total building cost and 14–17% of the total material mass. The direct as well as indirect influence of the enclosure materials plays an important role in the building life cycle energy. Single landed houses, the typical houses in Indonesia, have been chosen for this study. The life cycle energy of the house enclosures and energy consumed during their life spans shows intriguing results. The initial embodied energy of typical brick and clay roof enclosures is 45 GJ compared to the other typical walls and roof material (cement based) which is 46 GJ. However, over the 40 years life span of the houses, the clay based ones have a better energy performance than the cement based ones, 692 GJ versus 733 GJ, respectively. The material selection during the design phase is thus crucial since the buildings have at least 40–50 years’ life span.     

Options to reduce the environmental impacts of residential buildings in the European Union—Potential and costs

A typology of buildings representative of the building stock for the EU-25 was developed characterizing 72 building types in terms of their representativity, geographical distribution, size, material composition, and thermal insulation. The life cycle impacts of the building types were calculated for different environmental impact categories both at building and EU-25 level. The use phase of buildings, dominated by the energy demand for heating is by far the most important life cycle phase for existing and new buildings. The environmental impacts were allocated to single building elements. Ventilation, heat losses through roofs and external walls are important for a majority of single- and multi-family houses. Three improvement options were identified: additional roof insulation, additional façade insulation and new sealings to reduce ventilation. The measures yield a significant environmental improvement potential, which, for a majority of the buildings types analyse represent at least 20% compared to the base case. The major improvement potentials at EU-level lie with single-family houses, followed by multi-family houses. Smaller reductions are expected for high-rise buildings due to the smaller share in the overall building stock. For both roof insulation and reduced ventilation, the measures were shown to be economically profitable in a majority of buildings.     

Roof selection for rainwater harvesting: quantity and quality assessments in Spain

Roofs are the first candidates for rainwater harvesting in urban areas. This research integrates quantitative and qualitative data of rooftop stormwater runoff in an urban Mediterranean-weather environment. The objective of this paper is to provide criteria for the roof selection in order to maximise the availability and quality of rainwater. Four roofs have been selected and monitored over a period of 2 years (2008-2010): three sloping roofs - clay tiles, metal sheet and polycarbonate plastic - and one flat gravel roof. The authors offer a model for the estimation of the runoff volume and the initial abstraction of each roof, and assess the physicochemical contamination of roof runoff. Great differences in the runoff coefficient (RC) are observed, depending mostly on the slope and the roughness of the roof. Thus, sloping smooth roofs (RC > 0.90) may harvest up to about 50% more rainwater than flat rough roofs (RC = 0.62). Physicochemical runoff quality appears to be generally better than the average quality found in the literature review (conductivity: 85.0 ± 10.0 μS/cm, total suspended solids: 5.98 ± 0.95 mg/L, total organic carbon: 11.6 ± 1.7 mg/L, pH: 7.59 ± 0.07 upH). However, statistically significant differences are found between sloping and flat rough roofs for some parameters (conductivity, total organic carbon, total carbonates system and ammonium), with the former presenting better quality in all parameters (except for ammonium). The results have an important significance for local governments and urban planners in the (re)design of buildings and cities from the perspective of sustainable rainwater management. The inclusion of criteria related to the roof’s slope and roughness in city planning may be useful to promote rainwater as an alternative water supply while preventing flooding and water scarcity.     

泵送轻质屋顶绿化基材技术

屋顶绿化是改善城市环境的关键举措,本文分析了屋顶绿化的常见形式,介绍了简单屋顶绿化形式各层的材料特点、现有的简单屋顶绿化技术方案及存在的问题。在此基础上,论文介绍了一种新发明技术-泵送轻质屋顶绿化基材技术的材料组成和施工。     

Performance analysis of a simple roof cooling system with irrigated soil and two shading alternatives

The use of passive cooling on roofs holds a significant unfulfilled potential in hot-arid regions. In this study, the contribution of a watered soil with two types of shading for roof cooling was assessed. Two test cells of approximately 4 m² in area and 2.5 m high were monitored during the summer season. Both cells were covered with a 16-cm layer of soil. One was untreated while the other was watered and shaded consecutively by means of an overhead shading mesh and a layer of lightweight gravel. Temperature profiles were measured across the section of each roof, from the top surface of the soil to the ceiling inside the chamber, and embedded heat flux plates were also used to evaluate the cooling effect. A comparison of the two shading strategies demonstrated that while the mesh provided more cooling over a daily cycle, the daytime cooling potential, which is crucial in a desert climate, was higher with lightweight gravel.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the energy balance of extensive green roofs

This paper analyzed the energy balance of extensive green roofs and presented a simple but practical energy balance model. Field experiment justified the validation and accuracy of this model. Experimental results demonstrated that within 24 h of a typical summer day, when soil was rich in water content, solar radiation accounted for 99.1% of the total heat gain of a Sedum lineare green roof while convection made up 0.9%. Of all dissipated heat 58.4% was by the evapotranspiration of the plants-soil system, 30.9% by the net long-wave radiative exchange between the canopy and the atmosphere, and 9.5% by the net photosynthesis of plants. Only 1.2% was stored by plants and soil, or transferred into the room beneath.     

浅析绿色屋顶的景观价值

近年来,随着我国城市化进程的加快,环境问题日益显现,热岛效应、空气污染、污水溢流、噪音肆虐似乎成为了城市发展进程中的通病。而绿色屋顶的出现,对于解决城市问题所起到的积极作用已逐步受到设计师、开发商和环境学专家的认可。绿色屋顶并非新的环保概念,早在20世纪60年代就已陆续在美、英、德、加拿大等国出现,到如今瑞士、奥地利、德国和日本等先进国家皆以法律明文规定。通过对绿色屋顶种类的划分,国外优秀案例的剖析来阐述不同类型屋顶种植方式在城市中体现的景观价值。     

Passive cooling for air-conditioning energy savings with new radiative low-cost coatings

Passive cooling is considered as an alternative technology to avoid unwanted heat gains, to reduce urban heat islands and to generate cooling potential for buildings (limiting air-conditioning energy). According to materials and surface treatments, the roof can represent to be a major heat gain source from opaque elements of the building fabric, heating up the outer surface and increasing heat flow by conduction. This paper presents low-cost new radiative materials (1 ∉/m²) allowing to limit heat gains during diurnal cycle for hot seasons. To evaluate the relevance of these new substrates, their reflective UV-VIS-IR behavior are studied and compared to classical roofed materials available in industrial and developing countries. A 48 m² experimental roof having different surfaces (plate steel sheets, fiber cement, terra cotta tiles and corrugated sheets) allows to determine the temperature ratio δ between uncoated and coated materials. Up to 34% surface temperature gains are obtained for white coated CS, 25% for FC and ∼18% for TCT and PSS. According to uncoated materials for a surface temperature T₀ = 60 °C, simulations showed that the low-cost white opaque reflective roofs (50 m²) presented in this study would reduce cooling energy consumption by 26-49%.     

The carbon footprint of urban green space—A life cycle approach

Cities play an important role in the global carbon cycle. They produce a large proportion of CO₂ emissions, but they also sequester and store carbon in urban forests and green space. However, sequestration by urban green space is difficult to quantify and also involves emissions. The carbon footprint analysis is an established method for systematically quantifying carbon sinks and sources throughout the lifetime of goods and services. We applied this method to an urban green space project in Leipzig, Germany. To the best of our knowledge it is the first application in this field. We simulated carbon sequestration by growing trees and contrasted it with all related carbon sources, from construction and maintenance over the lifetime of 50 years. In addition, we explored alternative design and maintenance scenarios. Total net sequestration was predicted to be between 137 and 162 MgCO₂ ha⁻¹. Park-like design and maintenance is less effective than forest-like design and maintenance. Much uncertainty is linked to tree growth and tree mortality. Increasing annual tree mortality from 0.5 to 4% reduces sequestration by over 70%. In conclusion, urban green space can act as a carbon sink and the design and maintenance have a strong influence on the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint analysis is a valuable tool for estimating the long-term environmental performance of urban green space projects. Compared to emissions from people, the overall potential for carbon mitigation is limited, even in cities such as Leipzig with widely available space for new urban green space.     

温度监测系统的设计及在屋顶绿化节能效果检测中的应用

为了监测屋顶绿化的节能效果,设计并实现了屋顶绿化温度监测系统。该系统可以实现现场数据的实时采集,并且采用无线数据传输模块,可以对屋顶绿化的热工性能远程监测,通过该系统可以得到种植不同植物屋顶的热工参数。采用多项式最小二乘法对温度传感器的模拟量信号与温度值间的关系进行拟合,提高了系统的采样精度。     

Influence of insulated roof slabs on air conditioned spaces in tropical climatic conditions—A life cycle cost approach

The recent energy crisis and the environment impacts of building industry have led to the active promotion of principles of sustainable development in recent times. Minimization of energy usage is the key to improve sustainability where the actual impact is assessed on the basis of life cycle cost estimates. In this context, the performance of insulated roof slabs which can be used as an alternative to conventional light weight roofs, have been assessed in detail especially with respect to air conditioned buildings. It is shown that insulated roof slabs could have a desirable behaviour with respect to life cycle performance in addition to providing other benefits such as cyclone resistance and higher robustness to the building.