Vegetation as a mandatory building material
The evidence of many services that green roofs can bring to the urban environment makes them part of the environmental strategy of modern cities, already an obligation in cities like Copenhagen and highly encouraged by a number of worldwide governments.
ANCV (the Portuguese Association of Green Roof) (www.greenroofs.pt) is a NGO-Non-Governmental Organization, which aims to promote green infrastructures in cities, especially those that can be installed in buildings (new or pre-existing) such as green roofs, highlighting their enormous importance, and the numerous contributions they can give to the possibility to create healthy, sustainable, biodiverse and resilient urban territories. In its mission, social bodies from different activities, it promotes collaboration between companies, municipalities, and national and foreign research groups.
What is a green roof?
Green Roofs correspond to vegetation installed on a constructed structure, regardless of the type of construction or type of vegetation. Only green walls built with vines or vertical gardens systems are excluded. Typically, they have a system with several materials arranged in layers, which must ensure the good development of the vegetation, respecting and promoting the physical integrity of the built structure.
Green Roofs have several benefits at different levels.
Some of the main ones are:
– Rainwater retention capacity, reducing flood and problems in precipitation peaks.
– Microclimate improvement and consequent reduction of the heat island effect;
– Promotion of air quality through CO2 capture, oxygen production, as well as through the retention of airborne dust and particulate matter;
– Noise reduction;
(Source: Ahmet B.Besir, Erdem Cuce. Green roofs and facades: A comprehensive review.
– Promotion of biodiversity;
– Reduction of energy costs due to thermal insulation of buildings;
-Reduction of building maintenance costs by protecting the waterproofing membrane and reducing energy costs;
– Increase the presence of green spaces in cities
– Real estate valuation
– Possibility to produce fresh food in the roof
ANCV develops a set of actions, such as:
Promotion, with the Government and Municipalities, of green roofs as part of environmental and energetic strategies; Promotion and dissemination of scientific studies that demonstrate the many services that green roofs provide; Establishment of relationships and development of work with similar associations at the European level, with a special focus on those sharing the typical Mediterranean climatic conditions; Creation of a global database of green roofs incentives (https://www.greenroofs.pt/en/policy-map); Organization and promotion of training and dissemination events; Technical specifications editions that promote good projects and good works; Dissemination of national and international studies, standards and technical guides (https://www.greenroofs.pt/en/general-publications); Participation in the conception and revision of national sector regulation and legislation.
Source: greening-melbourne
Technical Guide for Green Roofs
The green roof technical guide is a reference document for planners and decision makers.
It was created with the support of FLL and the Spanish document of guidelines for green roofs. This document was supported by the order of engineers from the central region, with two launch events with more than 300 people.
https://www.greenroofs.pt/en/technical-guide-for-green-roofs
