Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
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.
Description
Keywords
green roofs rainwater harvesting runoff coefficient substrate aromatic plants
Citation
MONTEIRO, C. M.; CALHEIROS, C. S. C.; PIMENTEL-RODRIGUES, C.; SILVA-AFONSO, A.; CASTRO, P. M. L. - Contributions to the improvement of green roofs in Mediterranean climate, including rainwater harvesting. In: 40th IAHS World Congress on Housing: Sustainable Housing Construction, Funchal, Portugal, 16-19 December, 2014. – In: Tadeu, A.; Ural, D.; Abrantes, V. (Eds.) Book of Abstracts of the 40th IAHS World Congress on Housing: Sustainable Housing Construction Proceedings. ISBN: 978-989-98949-0-7. (2014) p.228. Funchal : ITeCons - Institute for Research and Technological Development in Construction Sciences