Abstract
Urban agriculture is an important step towards food security in cities where rooftop space is abundant, and underused. This research addresses the potential impact of adding a rooftop greenhouse to a six storey, detached office building on the total heating and cooling energy consumption of both structures operated year‐round, using IES‐VE simulation software. Several variables including the level of insulation between the office building and greenhouse, additional thermal mass, the greenhouse envelope and greenhouse internal loads were tested to observe trends that suggest an impact on the system’s conditioning energy due to the presence of the greenhouse. Overall, it was found to be most likely that the greatest energy savings for an integrated office building and rooftop greenhouse would be achieved with the highest resistance greenhouse envelope possible, which may be limited by the light needs of plants grown in the greenhouse, and incorporation of thermal mass in the greenhouse.
Highlights
Urban populations in Canada are consistently on the rise, and as cities expand, agricultural land on the outskirts is displaced (Statistics Canada, 2012)
The intent to compare the energy consumption of the baseline model to the Canadian national average for office buildings in order to calibrate the computer simulation model has been found to be inappropriate for several reasons
The simulation model was designed to meet the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG) for Small to Medium Office Buildings (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air‐Conditioning Engineers, 2011), which means that its energy consumption should already be better than average
Summary
Urban populations in Canada are consistently on the rise, and as cities expand, agricultural land on the outskirts is displaced (Statistics Canada, 2012). An important step towards food security in cities While it may only provide a small portion of the food supply required to support the urban population (MacRae et al, 2010), it is becoming a forum for highlighting responsible agricultural practices, and creates awareness of the food system in urban residents (Lufa Farms, 2013). Rooftop greenhouses in the city provide opportunities for food education, and, depending on agricultural intensity, appealing leisure space for users of the host building. Their proximity to consumers insists on a level of accountability on the part of the growers and delivers unparalleled freshness
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
