Bottom-up model for the sustainability assessment of rooftop-farming technologies potential in schools in Quito, Ecuador

Ledesma, Gabriela; Nikolić, Jelena; Pons, Oriol

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122993

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Firstly, informal rooftop agriculture where low-tech and low-cost containers and wooden raised-beds are installed directly on the waterproofed roof deck (Lab, 2011;Goldstein et al, 2016;Marzouk, 2016). Secondly, formal rooftop referring to intensive and extensive options for food production (Benis et al, 2018;Ledesma et al, 2020). Thirdly, technological rooftop indicating environmentally controlled soil-less systems installed in rooftop greenhouses to maximize production (Savvas, 2013;Rodríguez-Delfín et al, 2017;Nexus, 2021).…”

Section: Types and Classificationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Better health conditions extend beyond this to the psychological and mental gains of nature exposure and having better aesthetics in the built environment (Gould and Caplow, 2012;Lee, 2014;Besir and Cuce, 2018;Tan et al, 2020). In addition, such buildingintegrated gardens and farms allow for community engagement and social connections among neighbors (Astee and Kishnani, 2008;DEPI, 2014) as well as provide multiple educational activities for the community's children (Eigenbrod and Gruda, 2015;Radić et al, 2019;Ledesma et al, 2020).…”

Section: Benefits and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A brief list includes: increasing the share of green spaces (Tan et al, 2020) and improving the microclimate and air quality (Birkeland, 2009;Gould and Caplow, 2012;Lee, 2014). On the urban scale, they alleviate the urban heat island effect (Savvas 2013;Raji et al, 2015;Caputo et al, 2017;Rodríguez-Delfín et al, 2017;Benis et al, 2018;Ledesma et al, 2020) with additions. Systems existing in the Egyptian market are highlighted by the green-bordered boxes.…”

Section: Benefits and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our assessed studies show that multi-layered challenges are hindering the systems' wide implementation. It is claimed that many systems are not yet financially feasible, especially the hightech BIAs that aim at maximizing productivity gains (Gould and Caplow, 2012;Reese, 2014;Eigenbrod and Gruda, 2015;Ledesma et al, 2020). In addition, the lack of financial incentives and governmental policy support slows down the uptake (Kortright, 2001;Birkeland, 2009).…”

Section: Benefits and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Attention is usually given to the environmental benefits and production capacity, while overlooking the social aspects and people's preferences, which hinders the uptake (Ledesma et al, 2020). Lastly, having no adequate guidelines that set the systems' implementation standards, challenges their successful adoption by buildings (Birkeland, 2009;Reese, 2014).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Functionalizing building envelopes for greening and solar energy: Between theory and the practice in Egypt

Marzouk

Salheen

Fischer

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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The building sector is one of the most resource-intensive industries. In Egypt, buildings consume 60% of electricity, produce 8% of CO2 emissions, and anthropize agricultural land, peri-urban and urban landscapes. To compensate for these consumption patterns, building envelopes can become productive in terms of greening and energy production. This encompasses the implementation of productive building systems that include (a) greening systems such as building-integrated vegetation and agriculture systems and (b) solar energy systems such as building-applied and integrated photovoltaics. For Egypt, the transformation toward more productive buildings still lacks a holistic understanding of their status and implementation requirements. This paper undergoes a comprehensive analysis of the two systems’ classifications, benefits, challenges, and implementation aspects based on a thorough assessment of 121 studies and 20 reports addressing them. This is coupled with a contextual analysis using questionnaires (n = 35) and semi-structured interviews (n = 13) with Egyptian experts and suppliers. Results showed that a large variety of systems is studied in literature and exists in the local market. Among the most purchased productive building systems in the Egyptian market, according to experts, are hydroponics (selected by 75% of respondents), planter boxes/pots (50%), roof-mounted photovoltaic panels (95%), and solar water heaters (55%). The main benefits of greening and solar energy systems are identified as enjoying the greenery view (95%) and reducing energy expenses (100%), respectively. The high initial cost was considered the main barrier for both systems. Multiple commonalities between the two systems in terms of spatial and environmental applicability aspects (e.g., accessibility and safety, net useable area, sun exposure, wind exposure) and environmental performance aspects (e.g., energy demand and emissions reduction, heat flow reduction) were identified. Lastly, we highlight the importance of analyzing integrated solutions that make use of the identified synergies between the systems and maximize the production potentials.

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