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- Contributions to the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs in a Mediterranean climatePublication . Monteiro, C. M.; Calheiros, C. S. C.; Pimentel-Rodrigues, C.; Silva-Afonso, A.; Castro, P. M. L.Green roofs (GRs) are becoming a trend in urban areas, favouring thermal performance of buildings, promoting removal of atmospheric pollutants, and acting as possible water collection spots. Rainwater harvesting systems in buildings can also contribute to the management of stormwater runoff reducing flood peaks. These technologies should be enhanced in Mediterranean countries where water scarcity is increasing and the occurrence of extreme events is becoming very significant, as a result of climate change. An extensive pilot GR with three aromatic plant species, Satureja montana, Thymus caespititius and Thymus pseudolanuginosus, designed to study several parameters affecting rainwater runoff, has been in operation for 12 months. Physico-chemical analyses of roof water runoff (turbidity, pH, conductivity, NH4(+), NO3(-), PO4(3-), chemical oxygen demand) have shown that water was of sufficient quality for non-potable uses in buildings, such as toilet flushing. An innovative approach allowed for the development of an expression to predict a 'monthly runoff coefficient' of the GR system. This parameter is essential when planning and designing GRs combined with rainwater harvesting systems in a Mediterranean climate. This study is a contribution to improving the basis for the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with extensive GRs under a Mediterranean climate.
- Contributions to the improvement of green roofs in Mediterranean climate, including rainwater harvestingPublication . Monteiro, Cristina; Calheiros, Cristina; Pimentel-Rodrigues, Carla; Silva-Afonso, Armando; Castro, Paula M. L.Green roofs (a type of construction that uses vegetation on the top of buildings) present the opportunity to contribute to the ecological sustainability of the urban environment in many ways, such as favouring the thermal performance of buildings and increasing humidity and contributing to CO2 sequestration in cities. On the other hand, rainwater harvesting is also important in urban areas, not only as a contribution for the global sustainability of buildings, through the increase of their water efficiency, but also to reduce flood peaks on public stormwater drainage systems. Green roofs and rainwater harvesting systems are technologies already known in the world, but for which there are a wide possibility of development and improvement, especially with regard to their adaptation to regional climates, such as the Mediterranean one. These technologies are particularly important in the Mediterranean basin, at risk of high water stress, and must be combined properly in view of the climate specificity. This paper describes the studies in this area conducted by Portuguese Catholic University/College of Biotechnology, in collaboration with ANQIP, a Portuguese Civil Society Association working on water efficiency in buildings, in terms of substrates, runoff coefficients and water quality collected in a pilot green roof. This study seeks to improve the basis for the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs and a new expression is proposed for calculating monthly runoff coefficients under Mediterranean climate in extensive green roofs.
- Green roofs as a technology for rainwater retentionPublication . Monteiro, Cristina; Calheiros, Cristina; Pimentel-Rodrigues, Carla; Silva-Afonso, Armando; Castro, Paula M. L.Green roofs (GR) or living roofs are a technology of roof construction with a vegetation layer on the top of a building, which has a growing dissemination. Advantages include improvement of air quality in urban areas, generation of life ecosystems in urban cities and enhancement of both energetic and acoustic efficiency of buildings. Nowadays, they arise as potential solution for the improvement of the quality of stormwater runoff for later reuse, as well as rainwater retention in the urban scenario, decreasing water runoff. In that context the major goal of the present study is to establish a GR, with autochthonous aromatic species, aiming at evaluating the characteristics of rainwater runoff after crossing a selected substrate and its retention capacity, with a view to expand the technology application. The main outcomes allowed developing a model regarding the runoff coefficients and aspects of water quality and its reuse, promoting the development of GR technology and also the improvement of the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with GR.