A holistic plan of flat roof to green-roof conversion: Towards a sustainable built environment

Abstract

There is an increased research focus on the benefit of the green roof system (GRs) as a sustainable solution to overcome environmental challenges related to urbanization. Although GRs have been widely implemented in some countries throughout the globe, there needs to be a clear gap in the literature associated with the lagging implementation in the UK, with only a few buildings in London and Manchester have taken up the challenge of adopting them. Therefore, this paper first presents the construction components and multiple benefits of GRs for the UK climate, showing how GRs assist reduces stormwater, cutting down energy costs, and improving air and ecological performance. The research was conducted by undertaking roof surveys of fifty-four buildings across the north of England to determine if these roofs could be suitable for adopting GRs. In addition, an energy simulation using Design Builder software was used to analyze the monthly heat kw/h for the three diverse types of G.R.s. The results show that only 9% of the 54 roofs surveyed were suitable for GRs adoption due to the buildings' construction conditions and location.Furthermore, the study shows a massive saving in energy consumption when GRs implementation simulation was conducted for the 9% of the buildings surveyed, ranging between 550 and 1900£/year. Finally, it would be evident that green roofs provide better value for money over the longer term. Furthermore, this type of study and desktop analysis could inform policy and lead to significant incentives by the government for green roof adoption As this study was limited to north Englan, this analysis enabled a broader proportion of the country and a more comprehensive range of building ages, yielding even greater results and evidence of the potential benefits of a green roof system, allowing us to calculate the total cost of ownership over the roof's lifespan.