experimentally approaching the analysis of the thermal performances of green roofing in...

EXPERIMENTALLY APPROACHING THE ANALYSIS OF THE THERMAL PERFORMANCES OF GREEN ROOFING IN MEDITERRANEAN

CLIMATESBy: Giorgia Peri #*, Giancarlo Sorrentino #, Antonio Covais #, Simona Aprile §

Living Together in the Multi-cultural Society, Proceedings of the 2010 EMUNI Research Souk, 14 June 2010

UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMODIPARTIMENTO DI RICERCHE ENERGETICHE ED AMBIENTALI

Giorgia Peri PhD Student

# Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali, Palermo.

* Department of Environmental Technology, Technishe Universität, Berlin.

§ Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura. Unità di Ricerca per il Recupero e la Valorizzazione delle Specie Floricole Mediterranee, Bagheria.

PhD Giorgia Peri Experimentally approaching the analysis of the thermal performances of green roofing in Mediterranean climates

WALKING AROUND BERLIN

BERLIN, Germany

Germany has been the first country that, since the 1960s, has started to develop green roofs, a technique very well known in the past, launching the modern “trend”.

“Guidelines for the planning, execution and upkeep of Green Roof sites”, published in 1990’s from The Landscaping and Landscape Development Research Society e.V. (Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL)) in Germany.


Sweden

GREEN ROOFS WORLDWIDE

Austria

Switzerland

USA

UK

France

The Netherlands

Norway


GREEN ROOFS: BASIC TECHNOLOGY

The layers involved in a green roof standard

There are many commercially available green roof systems that vary only slightly, butin general all green roof systems utilize the components reported below.

To stop the finest soil particles but to let the water pass.To drain the excess of wateravoiding the soil saturation whichwouldn’t allow the oxygenation ofthe roots.

To collect the particles eventually fallen down from the upper layers.To protect the

waterproofing membrane from the roots.

A water storage layer might be involved in, whose main requirement is to accumulate waterduring the rain precipitation or the irrigations and to give it back when the plants need it.

Water storage layer


EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOF INTENSIVE GREEN ROOF

MAINTENANCE Low High

IRRIGATION No Regularly

PLANT COMMUNITIES Moss-Sedum-Herbs and Grasses

Lawn or Perennials, Shrubs and Trees

SYSTEM BUILD-UP HEIGHT

60 - 200 mm 150 - 400 mm on underground garages > 1000 mm

WEIGHT 60 - 150 kg/m2 13 -30 lb/sqft

180 - 500 kg/m2 35 - 100 lb/sqft

COSTS Low High

USE Ecological protection layer

Park as garden

For example

TWO BASIC TYPES OF GREEN ROOFS

Source: www.igra-world.com


PRIVATE BUILDING OWNER BENEFITS

- Energy savings

-Roofing membrane life extension

- Sound insulation

- Additional benefits

- Reduction of the urban heat island effect

- Storm water retention

- Air cleaning

- Creation of natural habitat for animals and plants

GREEN ROOFS: A WINNER IDEA

PUBLIC BENEFITS

WEAK POINT OF THE LITERATURE REGARDING GREEN ROOFS

Several researches mainly aiming at demonstrating the potential of green roofs to address environmental issues in an urban setting as well as several models of green roof carried out in last years (Lazzarin, 2005, Palomo Del Barrio, 1998, Alexandri, 2007, Takebayashi, 2007, Sailor, 2008) can be found in literature.

Few research works regarding the performance analysis of green coverings in the Mediterranean area.

The practice of green roofs in fact, has been mainly developed for cold regions, where climatic conditions, and especially the rainfall regime along the course of the year, are favourable to the growth of vegetation.


WHO HAS MORE GREEN ROOFS ?

http://www.igra-world.com

Data sources: http://www.greenroofs.com

Countries at EMUNI 2010


“AR.CO. VERDE”: RESEARCH PROJECT IN PROGRESS

Partners

• Consiglio per la Ricerca e Sperimentazione in Agricoltura (C.R.A.), Bagheria (Palermo)

• Department of Energy and Environmental Researches (DREAM)

University of Palermo

Goals

• Getting data for the thermal performance of green covering systems in

Mediterranean climate.

• Getting data for the type of plants suitable to be utilized for green roofs in

Mediterranean climate.



Small building quite close to the C.R.A. Institute in Bagheria (Palermo), used as a lab.

Roof total area: 82 m2

12

4

3

5 6

Area of single study-case: 13,5 m2



a

a

b

b

c

c


ROOF COMPONENT NAME OF THE COMPONENT

Vegetation layer a or b or c

Growing medium AgriTERRAM® TVS (from Perlite Italiana)

Water storage layer Igroperlite (from Perlite Italiana)

Drainage layer Ecodren SD5 (from Perlite Italiana)

Waterproofing membrane Bitumen


Each “mini green roof” has the layers reported in the table below.

12

4

3

5 6



a

a

b

b

c

c



Each “mini green roof” has the layers reported in the table below.

How does the behaviour of vegetable species change along with the thickness of the water storage layer?

ROOF COMPONENT

NAME OF THE COMPONENT Tickness layer [m]

Vegetation layer a or b or c -

Growing medium

AgriTERRAM® TVS (from Perlite Italiana) 0,15

Water storage layer

Igroperlite (from Perlite Italiana)

Sector 1,2,3 0,10

Sector 4,5,6 0,15

Drainage layerEcodren SD5 (from Perlite Italiana) 0,005

Waterproofing membrane Bitumen

Drainage layerDrainage layer: Ecodren SD5

Geocomposite: geonet heat bonded to a non woven geotextile


Green roofing system:

Vegetation layer

Drainage layer

Waterproofing membrane

Growing medium

Water storage layer


Water storage layerWater storage layer: Igroperlite Agrilit

Pillows made up of an inert soil of expanded perlite Agrilit and covered with a particular calandered not woven geotextile


Vegetation layer

Water storage layer

Drainage layer


Growing medium



Growing medium: Agriterram TVS

Mix of inorganic inerts, organic components, particular clays and organic fertilizers which are carachterized by slow releasing


Vegetation layer

Water storage layer

Drainage layer


Growing medium





Vegetation layer: autochthonous and soil cover vegetable species


Vegetation layer

Water storage layer

Drainage layer


Growing medium

a = Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus

b = Halimonione portulacoides

c = Crithum Maritimum

In each sector there is only one of these plants!



Monitoring System

• Insulated type T (copper constantan) thermocouple wires• pyranometers

Measuring system Acquisition system= +

Thermocouples position into the green roof

4 8-channels thermocouple analog input modules with modbus Adam

4018+ linked to a serial device server Adam 4571



Sketch of the new laboratory at DREAM (University of

Palermo).

1) measured thermo-physical data of such coverings

2) studied mix of natural materials with mineral ones. They might be employed for the realization of modular sets for green covering of buildings.

In such laboratory will be:


By summarizing and new steps

Several researches mainly aiming at demonstrating the potential of green roofs to address environmental issues in an urban setting as well as several models of green roof carried out in last years, can be found in literature.

EU has been starting to consider green roofs as a solution for cooling in Mediterranean area (research project ROOFSOL of EU).

A research project is currently in progress in Italy. It might be useful for getting some data both for the type of plants suitable to be utilized in Mediterranean climate and the thermal behaviour of these green covering in Mediterranean climate.

Few research works regarding the performance analysis of green coverings in the Mediterranean area.

New steps:

- creating a first database of information for Mediterranean climate.

- implementing an industrial prebuilt modular prototype, that could be easily installed in all the roofs of this Mediterranean region.


“Is it not against all logic when the upper surface of a whole town remains unused and reserved exclusively for a dialogue between the tiles and the stars?” Le Corbusier (1920)

experimentally approaching the analysis of the thermal performances of green roofing in...

Documents

green roof standard

available green roof

upkeep of green roof

phd giorgia periexperimentally

mediterranean climates

berlin berlin

germany germany

water storage layer