Rethinking green roofs- natural and recycled materials improve their carbon footprint

Tams, Laura; Nehls, Thomas; Calheiros, Cristina S. C.

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109122

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…They need to select the materials that improve GR performance and reduce its environmental footprints. For example, recycled and renewable materials have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of GRs by 73% (Tams et al 2022 ); however, it is indicated that some recycled materials can cause water contamination (Chen et al 2018 ). Accordingly, assessing the results of previous studies on different materials is an important step in the material selection process to reach sustainable GR.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable green roofs: a comprehensive review of influential factors

Shahmohammad

Hosseinzadeh

Dvorak

et al. 2022

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Green roofs have gained much attention as a modern roofing surface due to their potential to deliver many environmental and social benefits. Studies have indicated that different GR designs deliver different ecosystem services, and there are important factors that affect GR performance. This article reviewed significant factors that influence GR performance and sustainability. Substrate and drainage layer material choice significantly affects stormwater retention potential, leachate quality, plant survival, and determines GR environmental footprints. Subsequently, type of plants, their form, and kinds used on GRs impact GR ecosystem function. Leaf area is the most studied trait due to its influence on the cooling potential and energy performance. In order to achieve a sustainable GR, it is essential to select the type of plants that have a high survival rate. Perennial herbs, particularly forbs and grass as dominant groups, are heat and drought tolerant, which make them suitable in GR experiment. Furthermore, selecting a suitable irrigation system is as important as two other factors for having a sustainable GR. Irrigation is essential for plant survival, and due to the current pressure on valuable water sources, it is important to select a sustainable irrigation system. This review presents three sustainable irrigation methods: (i) employing alternative water sources such as rainwater, greywater, and atmospheric water; (ii) smart irrigation and monitoring; and (iii) using adaptive materials and additives that improve GR water use. This review sheds new insights on the design of high-performance, sustainable GRs and provides guidance for the legislation of sustainable GR.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable green roofs: a comprehensive review of influential factors

Shahmohammad

Hosseinzadeh

Dvorak

et al. 2022

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…Assessing the benefits of NbS and comparing their ES values with the lifecycle impacts of the solution is anything but new. For example, Tams et al [99] have conducted a prospective analysis of two green roofs to evaluate future scenarios of carbon neutrality, comparing the carbon footprint of those technologies with their possibility to reduce GHGs by making use of recycled construction components and taking advantage of the plant's capacity to uptake atmospheric carbon (offsetting step). Similarly, Nicese and colleagues [100] have quantified the carbon balance connected with planning, planting, and maintaining an urban park, highlighting how different planting options, different pruning or thinning intensities, or species selection can change this balance.…”

Section: Towards a Mitigation Hierarchy Framework For Net Zero Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Footprint Neutrality Using Methods and Tools for Natural Capital Accounting in Life Cycle Assessment

Rugani,

Osset,

Blanc

et al. 2023

Land

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Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) is becoming a reference tool for an increasing number of organizations transitioning towards environmental impact neutrality. However, one NCA technique applicable to all types of actors (individual, community, company, etc.) is missing because of the lack of consensus on how to quantify both their environmental impacts and dependencies on ecosystems. A coupled systematic and non-systematic review of the grey and scientific literature is performed here to (i) make an extensive review of state-of-the-art NCA methods, identifying their current utilization and limitations, and (ii) discern prospects about the challenges of integrating an Ecosystem Service Accounting in Life Cycle Assessment (ESA-LCA). While NCA methods can extensively evaluate the supply of ES, they tend to disregard the quantification of environmental impacts that imply a demand for ES. The ESA-LCA approach is identified as a robust solution to balance supply and demand of ecosystem services in NCA, allowing private and public actors to quantify their distance from impact neutrality targets. A novel definition of NC(A) in LCA is also formulated to support these future efforts, promoting a Mitigation Hierarchy-based strategy to avoid, minimize, restore, and offset impacts, and outlining a roadmap for practitioners to apply ESA-LCA across multiple economic sectors.

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“…Green roofs' ability to provide thermal protection may help buildings to use less energy and experience less thermal load [1][2][3][4]. Also, the configuration (thickness) of drainage and substrate layers and their materials' thermal and physical properties can affect the insulation performance and water-holding capacity of green roof systems [5][6][7]. On the other hand, since green roofs with different materials' characteristics can be highly affected by climate conditions [8][9][10][11][12], their thermal performance and workability have been assessed under different weather conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%