Sustainable Urban Environment through Green Roofs: A Literature Review with Case Studies

Dimitris Perivoliotis, Iasonas Arvanitis, Anna Tzavali, Vassilios Papakostas, Sophia Kappou, George Andreakos, Angeliki Fotiadi, John A. Paravantis (), Manolis Souliotis and Giouli Mihalakakou
Additional contact information
Dimitris Perivoliotis: Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Iasonas Arvanitis: Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Anna Tzavali: Department of Regional and Economic Development, Agricultural University of Athens, 33100 Amfissa, Greece
Vassilios Papakostas: Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, 18534 Piraeus, Greece
Sophia Kappou: Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
George Andreakos: Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
Angeliki Fotiadi: Department of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Patras, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
John A. Paravantis: Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, 18534 Piraeus, Greece
Manolis Souliotis: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50100 Kozani, Greece
Giouli Mihalakakou: Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: This study conducts a literature review coupled with case-study calculations comparing the thermal contribution of semi-intensive and intensive (deeper) green roofs to non-insulated and insulated building roofs, and enhancing comprehension by validating applied scenarios with published literature-based data. Mitigation of the urban heat island is crucial for reducing energy consumption and enhancing urban sustainability, especially through natural solutions such as green (i.e., planted) roofs. The energy and environmental benefits of green roofs include energy conservation, thermal comfort, noise reduction, and aesthetic improvement. Legal mandates, innovative business models, financial subsidies and incentives, regulations, etc. are all components of green roof policies. Conflicts between private property owners and the public, regulatory gaps, and high installation costs are among the challenges. Green roofs are layered and incorporate interacting thermal processes. Green roof models are either based on the calculation of thermal transmittance (U-values), an experimental energy balance, or data-driven (primarily neural network) approaches. U-values were calculated for eight hypothetical scenarios consisting of four non-insulated and four insulated roofs, with or without semi-intensive and intensive green roofs of various materials and layer thicknesses. While the non-planted, non-insulated roof had the highest U-value, planted roofs were particularly effective for non-insulated roofs. Three of these scenarios were in reasonable accord with experimental and theoretical thermal transmittance literature values. Finally, a non-insulated planted roof, particularly one with rockwool, was found to provide a certain degree of thermal insulation in comparison to a non-planted insulated roof.

Keywords: green roofs; energy benefits of green roofs; green roof models; thermal transmittance; U-value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/22/15976/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/22/15976/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:22:p:15976-:d:1280948

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().