Soil Based and Simplified Hydroponics Rooftop Gardens

Rodríguez-Delfín, Alfredo; Gruda, Nazim; Eigenbrod, Christine; Orsini, Francesco; Gianquinto, Giorgio

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-57720-3_5

Cited by 14 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Because of their light weight and sustainability in terms of resource efficiency, soilless systems are especially suitable for urban areas as well as hobby gardening. These systems allow for an exact dosage and application of nutrients [3,62]. Nowadays, "vertical farming systems" in tower shapes have started to be applied.…”

Section: Soilless Culture and Growing Media: Pros And Consmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

2019

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Decreasing arable land, rising urbanization, water scarcity, and climate change exert pressure on agricultural producers. Moving from soil to soilless culture systems can improve water use efficiency, especially in closed-loop systems with a recirculating water/nutrient solution that recaptures the drain water for reuse. However, the question of alternative materials to peat and rockwool, as horticultural substrates, has become increasingly important, due to the despoiling of ecologically important peat bog areas and a pervasive waste problem. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive critical review of current developments in soilless culture, growing media, and future options of using different materials other than peat and rockwool. Apart from growing media properties and their performance from the point of view of plant production, economic and environmental factors are also important. Climate change, CO 2 emissions, and other ecological issues will determine and drive the development of soilless culture systems and the choice of growing media in the near future. Bioresources, e.g., treated and untreated waste, as well as renewable raw materials, have great potential to be used as growing media constituents and stand-alone substrates. A waste management strategy aimed at reducing, reusing, and recycling should be further and stronger applied in soilless culture systems. We concluded that the growing media of the future must be available, affordable, and sustainable and meet both quality and environmental requirements from growers and society, respectively.

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Section: Soilless Culture and Growing Media: Pros And Consmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

2019

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“…On the other side of production, BIAs come in a wide array of subsystems differentiated based on the growing medium into soil-based versus soil-less systems (Lab, 2011;Rodríguez-Delfín et al, 2017). Three overarching types of BIAs on rooftops were identified (Caputo et al, 2017).…”

Section: Types and Classificationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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). To complement that, some studies listed detailed types of hydroponic systems that intensify production including the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Deep Water Culture (DWC), Dutch buckets, and column systems (Savvas, 2013;George and George, 2016;Gould, 2019; Figure 3, Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Table S3).…”

Section: Types and Classificationsmentioning

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%

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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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“…Each time, the roof structure should be checked and possibly redesigned so that it is able to bear additional load from the weight of plants, soil, water, boxes and people on the roof. Apart from soil cultivation, hydroponic cultivation is recommended [50]. The advantage of hydroponic cultivation may be a lower load on the roof structure, which is especially important for a roof on an already existing building.…”

Section: Sustainable Housing Environment-theories and Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformation of Socialist Realistic Residential Architecture into a Contemporary Sustainable Housing Habitat—General Approach and the Case Study

2021

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This article deals with the problem of multi-family housing implemented in the 1950s in Poland. Buildings from this period are located in the central districts of cities, and are well-connected and equipped with service infrastructure, but due to the small size of these flats, their low standard and poor technical condition, they are not sufficiently attractive for middle-class people and developing families. The consequence of this is the social selection of residents and the disappearance of neighborly relations. In this article, the authors present a balance sheet of the shortcomings and advantages of these buildings, and against the background of contemporary requirements for housing, resulting from the theory of sustainable development, they indicate possible directions for modernization. Detailed solutions are presented for a specific housing complex located in Rzeszów. The development of flat roofs and the introduction of functions integrating the community of residents are the significant elements of the project. Due to the fact that the functional layouts of stories, the structure of buildings, and to a large extent the spatial arrangement of residential complexes were unified in the 1950s throughout the whole country, the presented concept may serve as inspiration for similar projects undertaken in any other city in Poland.

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Soil Based and Simplified Hydroponics Rooftop Gardens

Cited by 14 publications

References 8 publications

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

Increasing Sustainability of Growing Media Constituents and Stand-Alone Substrates in Soilless Culture Systems

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

Transformation of Socialist Realistic Residential Architecture into a Contemporary Sustainable Housing Habitat—General Approach and the Case Study

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