Innovative Green Roofs for Southern Europe: Biocrusts and Native Species With Low Water Use (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
Green infrastructure and in particular green roofs are crucial to meet the challenge of sustainable urbanisation fostered by the current European Research and Innovation agenda. Several guidelines were issued in the last decades in Europe for regulating design, construction and up-keep of roof greening. In particular, the actual German guidelines (FLL 2008) have been widely adopted as reference basis for green roof design and regulation worldwide, because of its exhaustiveness and proven buildingand landscaping tradition. With the aim to assess the effectiveness of green roof norms in supporting plant and soil biodiversity of different ecoregions, and particularly of the Mediterranean one, the German, the Swiss and Italian regulations are screened and discussed in this paper. The German guidelines were chosen for its traditional referential role, the Swiss norm for its peculiar biodiversity approach, the Italian one for its application on a territory with remarkably heterogeneous en...
Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae, 2023
Using local wild plant resources to create green roofs in urban areas is a sustainable solution that supports cities' adaptation strategies to climate change. Creating extensive green roofs, in accordance with the Nature-Based Solutions concept, supports minimizing the effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity and human health. The aim of this paper is to identify, based on an analysis of published research results, the main criteria for selecting vegetation introduced to green roofs and the role of green roofs in minimizing the effects of climate change in the context of NBS. The data were collected by analyzing the results of studies published in the last 10 years, focusing on plant selection. It was found that species selection often fails to consider plant functional traits. The potential of wild plants in urban-industrial areas for creating green infrastructure and optimizing ecosystem services remains largely unrecognized. However, certain plants with desirable functional traits, originating e.g. from habitats such as post-industrial coal mining waste heaps, show promise in providing functional support to urban ecosystems in minimizing the effects of climate change.
A B S T R A C T Green infrastructure and in particular green roofs are crucial to meet the challenge of sustainable urbanisation fostered by the current European Research and Innovation agenda. Several documents were issued in the last decades in Europe for regulating the design, construction and upkeep of roof greening. In particular, the actual German guidelines have been widely adopted as a reference basis for green roof design and regulation worldwide , because of its exhaustiveness and proven building-and landscaping tradition. With the aim to assess the effectiveness of green roof guidelines and norms in supporting plant and soil biodiversity in different ecoregions, and particularly of the Mediterranean one, the German guidelines, the Swiss and Italian norms are screened and discussed in this paper. The German guidelines were chosen for their traditional referential role, the Swiss norm for its peculiar biodiversity approach, the Italian one for its application on a territory with remarkably heterogeneous environmental conditions, stretching from Alpine to Mediterranean ecosystems. Even if the three documents at comparison addressed to some extent biodiversity-related matters, none of them deepened the relationship between plant species selection (local ecotypes), growing medium composition (materials, granular size and thickness) and system build-ups (multi-layers and/or single-layer systems). This is a crucial point for countries, like Italy, encompassing very different climatic conditions. It was concluded that at the current knowledge a guideline/norm taking into account the peculiarities of green roof design in the Mediterranean ecoregion has to be widely refined.
GREEN ROOFS AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF MODERN URBAN ENVIRONMENT
2023
The need for the realization of green roof spaces has grown significantly in the last few decades, due to increasingly compacted urban spaces, which deprives urbanized territories of green areas. The positive sanitary and hygienic effect, the retention of dust particles and the improvement of the microclimate of roof gardens is a fact. This report presents comparative analyzes with selected european examples in the construction of green roofs. Suitable plant species and their requirements for this type of environment are described. Possibilities for a more tendentious integration of this type of landscaping in Bulgaria are presented.
A plant sociological approach for extensive green roofs in Mediterranean areas
Extensive Green roofs can be an important mean for environmental mitigation if designed according to the principles of restoration ecology. Moreover, if optimally executed, properly managed and of sufficient extension, they could be assimilated to meta-populations of natural habitats, worth to be included in the biodiversity monitoring networks. The best example supporting this hypothesis is the Lake water plant Moos in Wollishofen (Zurich, Switzerland) where, on three 100 years old units of extensive green roofs, occur most of the typical flora of Mesobromion, including high density of some endangered orchid species. With this work, we propose a methodology approach for green roofs in Mediterranean areas, based on a practical plant sociology understanding of EU Directive 92/43: a recognition of Natura 2000 habitat that could be imitated on roofs in terms of characteristic species and substrates. Our results lead to three category groups: those linked to sandy substrates (psammophilous vegetation), to gravely-pebbly substrates (glareicolous vegetation) and to xeromorfic soils (garrigues and dry grasslands). According to the last theories and practical application for grasslands restoration, we suggest a method applied and studied in Switzerland for green roofs, based on diaspore hay transfer from a donor meadow, in order to obtain the highest plant species richness and diversity.
Research Square (Research Square), 2021
This paper proposes the identification of adapted plant species with high local availability feasible for implementation as green roofs in dry cities. To this end, two experiments were conducted under controlled conditions. One of them aimed at determining the biological behaviour of a sample set of fourteen species based on the measurement of three variables: plant cover, water consumption, and leaf temperature. The other test sought to determine the thermal behaviour of green roofs by comparing preselected species according to their biological response with traditional roofs. In this case, the following meteorological variables were recorded: outdoor and indoor air temperature, substrate temperature, and water content. Finally, the data obtained were statistically processed. Biological results show that the species Aptenia cordifolia, Cynodon dactylon, Hyalis argentea, and Nassella tenuissima reach plant cover higher than 70% with Aptenia cordifolia recording the lowest water consumption, 217 l/year. Regarding thermal behaviour, the green roof with Nassella tenuissima-a shrubby native species-results in the highest mitigation of outdoor temperature, reducing average indoor temperature by 3.4°C. These results show the biological and thermal fitness of local species that guarantee the sustainability of the system itself as well as higher thermal efficiency with lower water consumption.
Ecological Engineering, 2014
Green roofs are increasingly popular in urban areas of NW Europe and North America. However, greening roofs still needs incentives particularly in countries with a Mediterranean climate. Although green roof benefits such as cooling capacity and storm water retention would be even more pronounced in this challenging climate with hot and dry summers, vegetation stress on extensive green roofs will be enhanced, causing low performance if the same species as in the temperate regions of NW Europe and North America are used. In order to support further development and application of green roofs in the Mediterranean climate, new insights on suitable native species is an essential step. Using the habitat template concept, specifically taking into account drought adaptation and self-regulation, we developed a screening procedure using both functional plant traits and utilitarian aspects. Plant traits of two species lists (one resulting from an extensive vegetation study and another one covering the successful plant species of extensive green roofs in NW Europe) were analyzed. The results were incorporated into a hierarchical multi-criteria screening tool. This tool can encourage further experimental trials and inspire and guide the green roof industry toward the most appropriate species for extensive green roof design. As an example, the key was illustrated on a subset of plant species from Mediterranean southern France, which identified 34 newly potential green roof species. Interestingly, 35% of these species were annuals, a promising life form that has until now rarely been considered for extensive green roofs.
THE BENEFITS OF GREEN ROOFS FOR URBAN LANDSCAPES
ÇUKUROVA ULUSLARARASI MULTİDİSİPLİNER ÇALIŞMALAR KONGRESİ, 2018
In recent years, extensively growing environmental concerns in urban areas have led to creating contemporary solutions which provide improved storm water management, regulation of buildings’ temperatures, and reduction in air pollution. More importantly, especially increased impervious surface areas are one of the most important factors posing risk of flooding downstream and increasing storm water storage. Traditional roofs cannot efficiently infiltrate these storm water accumulations and they increase the land surface temperature causing urban heat island effects. Green roofs are one of the most significant novel ecosystems and they increase sound insulation, mitigate storm water runoff, create wildlife habitat, improve air quality, and significantly reduce the urban heat island effect in cities. Green roofs can also contribute in inner city areas where vegetation is limited and improve benefits regarding aesthetics and economic factors in urbanized landscapes. Turkey is one of the countries where growing significance of environmental issues associated with urbanization resulted with increase of greenhouse gas emission and reductions of efficient energy consumption. However, there are limited applications of green roofs on urbanized landscapes in Turkey. Therefore, understanding and preventing negative impacts of existing buildings on environment in Turkey play a substantial role in taking decisive measures to reduce environmental degradation in urban areas. The aim of this study is to evaluate and discuss regarding the history, types, quality, anatomy, and environmental benefits of green roofs. In addition, this study also provides useful information for decision makers and policy makers and highlights the positive effects of vegetation on the urban heat island mitigation at urban scale. By this way, prospective implications of green areas on urban landscapes can benefit from the information reported in this study.
ACTA SCIENTIARUM POLONORUM - Architectura Budownictwo
The authors presented information on green roofs in the European Union (EU) based on the experience of construction companies in the Netherlands and Poland. The choice of these countries was related to the fact that Dutch land planners are interested in cooperating and sharing their experience with Polish specialists. The article also presents a brief history of the use of green roofs. The technical knowledge (on construction, the design of specialized covers and preparation of the entire system) have been gathered from Dutch companies specializing in plant breeding on green roofs. The authors described the advantages of green roofs and the just cause of financing these projects by the EU. Green roofs relieve some of the load on the sewage systems in cities by absorbing precipitation water. They help preventing the floods after storms and torrents. They reduce the negative consequences of heat islands effect and decrease CO 2 emission. Green roofs can solve problems in the areas of Poland that are exposed to harmful gases. Furthermore, green roofs act as a thermal insulation, thus less energy for winter heating and summer air conditioning (energy efficiency) is being used.