A Comparison of Energy and Thermal Performance of Rooftop Greenhouses and Green Roofs in Mediterranean Climate: A Hygrothermal Assessment in WUFI

Mansoureh Gholami, Alberto Barbaresi, Patrizia Tassinari, Marco Bovo and Daniele Torreggiani
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Mansoureh Gholami: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Alberto Barbaresi: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Patrizia Tassinari: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Marco Bovo: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Daniele Torreggiani: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: In urban areas, a considerable proportion of energy demand is allocated to buildings. Since rooftops constitute one-fourth of all urban surfaces, an increasing amount of attention is paid to achieving the most efficient shapes and component designs compatible with every climate and urban context, for rooftops of varying sizes. In this study, three types of rooftop technologies, namely insulated, green roof, and rooftop greenhouse, are evaluated for energy and thermal performance using computer simulations. Water surface exposure, absorption, and intrusion are the three important factors in the calculation of hygrothermal models that impact energy consumption and building envelope performance; however, a few studies are specifically focused on providing realistic results in multi-dimensional hygrothermal models and the assessment of the impact of moisture in roofing solutions. This paper aims at evaluating the performance of three different roofing technologies through a two-dimensional hygrothermal simulation in software WUFI. To accomplish this, a precise localized microclimate model of a complex urban context on the scale of a neighborhood was employed to evaluate the cooling and heating loads of the buildings, the impact of the water content in the green roof on the thermal behavior of the roof surface, and the feasibility of designing a building with nearly zero cooling needs. A two-story building in the city center of Bologna, Italy is modelled. Simulation results have shown that during the cooling period, the performance of the designed rooftop greenhouse is the most effective by 50% reduction in cooling loads. Besides, the impact of moisture in green roofs has been detected as a negative factor for thermal and energy performance of the building in the Mediterranean climate. The results ultimately highlighted the capability of passively-designed rooftop greenhouses to create a building with nearly zero cooling needs.

Keywords: Rooftop greenhouse; green roof; two-dimensional hygrothermal simulation; urban local microclimate modelling; green systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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