A hygrothermal green roof model to simulate moisture and energy performance of building components

Zirkelbach, Daniel; Mehra, Schew‐Ram; Sedlbauer, Klaus; Künzel, Hartwig M.; Stöckl, Beate

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.04.001

Cited by 35 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The material is found to be suitable, according to examined parameters, such as water storage capacity, plant survival, and ease of installation and inspection. Zirkelbach et al [102] present a comprehensive hygrothermal model for green roofs, validated by field test results. Considerations of moisture conditions are limited only to growth and drainage media.…”

Section: Management Operations and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of Blue-Green Roofs in Cold Climates: A Scoping Review

et al. 2018

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Green and blue-green roofs are emerging as an increasingly popular feature of rooftops, particularly in urban areas. Particular problematic conditions render their usage complex in the Nordic countries. In order to ensure that green roofs are built durable and with the service life expected of them, it is important to know all the relevant factors surrounding their construction and operation. A scoping study was conducted in order to gain an overview on green roof research and available scientific literature. One hundred articles of particular interest for Nordic climates were retrieved and their findings summarized. It is found that the vast majority of green roof research has been conducted on a theoretical basis, or with practical measurements on green roof test beds or isolated components. There is scarcely any literature on the operation of full-scale, building-implemented green roofs, and no articles were found on the building technical performance of aged green roofs. These knowledge gaps indicate a major risk factor in green roof operation, as their performance and integrity over time has not been documented. This despite the fact that green roofs have been implemented and in operation worldwide for decades.

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Section: Management Operations and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of Blue-Green Roofs in Cold Climates: A Scoping Review

et al. 2018

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“…As for the vegetation characteristics, Figure 7 shows how the Halimione Portulacoides (both P1 and P6) and the Rosmarinus Officinalis Prostratus (only P5) reached full coverage (100%) in less than 12 months while the Rosmarinus Officinalis Prostratus in P2 achieved a maxim coverage of about 85% in the same period and the Crithmum Maritimum (both P3 and P4) did not accomplish more than 40%-60%, showing the difficulty of establishing it in the considered environment [52].…”

Section: Description Of the Analysed Green Roof Installed In The Expementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to experimental studies [44][45][46], the effect on the built environment of vegetated roofs in diverse climates has also been investigated from analytical [47][48][49] and modelling points of view [50][51][52] over the years. In particular, the relevant parameters for energy modelling of green roofs have been explored in the literature, particularly referring to the role played by leaves and solar radiation in the thermal exchanges between vegetated layers and the surrounding environment [53].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Roofs as Effective Tools for Improving the Indoor Comfort Levels of Buildings—An Application to a Case Study in Sicily

et al. 2020

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In the line of pursuing better energy efficiency in human activities that would result in a more sustainable utilization of resources, the building sector plays a relevant role, being responsible for almost 40% of both energy consumption and the release of pollutant substances in the atmosphere. For this purpose, techniques aimed at improving the energy performances of buildings’ envelopes are of paramount importance. Among them, green roofs are becoming increasingly popular due to their capability of reducing the (electric) energy needs for (summer) climatization of buildings, hence also positively affecting the indoor comfort levels for the occupants. Clearly, reliable tools for the modelling of these envelope components are needed, requiring the availability of suitable field data. Starting with the results of a case study designed to estimate how the adoption of green roofs on a Sicilian building could positively affect its energy performance, this paper shows the impact of this technology on indoor comfort and energy consumption, as well as on the reduction of direct and indirect CO2 emissions related to the climatization of the building. Specifically, the ceiling surface temperatures of some rooms located underneath six different types of green roofs were monitored. Subsequently, the obtained data were used as input for one of the most widely used simulation models, i.e., EnergyPlus, to evaluate the indoor comfort levels and the achievable energy demand savings of the building involved. From these field analyses, green roofs were shown to contribute to the mitigation of the indoor air temperatures, thus producing an improvement of the comfort conditions, especially in summer conditions, despite some worsening during transition periods seeming to arise.

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“…Among the approved tools, the WUFI simulation software has been chosen for further use by researchers to simulate the bond between moisture and heat transfer through green roof layers owing to some reasons including higher accuracy of hygrothermal simulation results in comparison with experimental measurements under different climate conditions over a long-period monitoring (Schafaczek and Zirkelbach 2013). Considering the rainwater reception and water drainage effect through the greenery layers are other advantages of WUFI simulation software (Zirkelbach et al 2017;Vertaľ et al 2018). In addition to the above, the moisture properties of materials including liquid water transport and vapour diffusion can be easily measured in lab-scale and then introduced into the WUFI software to predict the hygrothermal performance of green roof layers (Vertaľ et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%