Urban reconciliation ecology: The potential of living roofs and walls

Francis, Robert A.; Lorimer, Jamie

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.01.012

Cited by 327 publications

(200 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In addition to their benefits of mitigating stormwater runoff, EGRs are promoted in many cities around for the world for improving air quality (Speak et al, 2012), reducing the urban heat island (Dimoudi and Nikolopoulou, 2003;Takebayashi and Moriyama, 2007;Wong et al, 2003), improving thermal insulation (Simmons et al, 2008), mitigating low frequency noise (Connelly and Hodgson, 2013), supplementing urban green infrastructure (Grant, 2012), enhancing urban biodiversity (Brenneisen, 2006;Gedge and Kadas, 2004;Grant et al, 2003) and much more (Francis and Lorimer, 2011;Oberndorfer et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation composition of old extensive green roofs (from 1980s Germany)

Thuring¹,

Dunnett²

2014

Ecol Process

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Introduction: Since their development in the late 1970s in Germany, extensive green roofs (EGR) have become increasingly popular as mitigation tools for urban environmental issues around the world. EGRs are planted with select species, which ensure consistent cover and performance over time. This research presented herein is part of a systematic re-evaluation of EGR technology since the German industry began. Methods: Given the opportunity to access a small sample of old EGRs installed over 20 years ago in south-west Germany, this research surveyed the vegetation and substrate with an interest in describing these parameters with time-through-space substitution. Results: Similar to previous studies, this preliminary work found correlations between roof age with vegetation (cover abundance and species diversity) and substrate properties (e.g., depth, organic content, pH, and nutrients). Roof age had positive relationship with soil organic content (C org ), and negative relationships with substrate depth and soil pH. These soil variables are inter-related, as shallow acidic substrates create unfavourable conditions for decomposition and thereby the accumulation of duff. Substrate variables correlated with EGR vegetation, suggesting a trend of simplified species composition over time. Indeed, C org had a negative relationship with cover and species diversity of most life forms; only Sedum species had positive associations with C org . Conclusions: Considering the dynamics associated with shallow mineral substrates, and the greater floristic diversity of younger roofs, simple Sedum-based vegetation may represent a steady state for conventional EGRs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation composition of old extensive green roofs (from 1980s Germany)

Thuring¹,

Dunnett²

2014

Ecol Process

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“…The thermal aspects of vertical greening are, however, still under debate (Hunter et al 2014). One particular type of green façade is living wall systems, which are vertical greening systems where plants are grown without the need for contact with the ground (Koehler 2008, Francis and Lorimer 2011, Perini et al 2011b). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant performance in living wall systems in the Scandinavian climate

Mårtensson

Wuolo

Fransson

et al. 2014

Ecological Engineering

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Vertical greening has attracted increasing interest during recent years as a way of maintaining areas of vegetation despite increased urban densification. Living wall systems are a novel form of vertical greening in the Scandinavian climate and there is a lack of scientific knowledge on their functioning. We have performed a full-scale field experiment in an industrial area in Malmö, south-western Sweden, to compare the qualityquality and coverage of 16 plant species in two systems used for vertical greening. We hypothesized and found that: (1) living wall systems with perennial plants are feasible in the Scandinavian climate, (2) the qualityquality of plants was better and (2) the area covered was greater in the Rockwool system than in the pumice-filled pocket system. Individual plant species responded differently in the two systems. For example, Antennaria dioica seemed to perform well -in terms of qualityvisual quality -in the Rockwool system, but this was not reflected in the area covered. Achillea millefolia, on the other hand, showed better performance in the pumice-filled pocket system in terms of qualityquality, but this was not reflected in the area covered by the plants. Other species, such as Armeria maritima, did not perform better in either system in terms of qualityquality, but the area covered was higher in

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“…A pesar de que en ciudades consolidadas no es posible intervenir sobre esta variable, es necesario contemplar la necesidad de incrementar las áreas verdes en aras de potenciar y utilizar sus beneficios sobre el clima urbano. Una alternativa compatible con la baja disponibilidad de vacíos urbanos, para insertar tipologías tradicionales de espacios verdes, lo constituye el uso de nuevas tecnologías asociadas a la incorporación de verde sobre las envolventes verticales de los edificios (Wong et al, 2009;Francis y Lorimer, 2011). No obstante, este trabajo demuestra que la dimensión de la plaza es una variable relevante como estrategia de mejoramiento del clima urbano y mitigación del calentamiento de la ciudad, y que debe ser contemplada en el diseño y la planificación de nuevos centros urbanos de alta densidad.…”

Section: Conclusionesunclassified

Incidencia de las plazas urbanas sobre el comportamiento térmico del entorno en alta densidad edilicia. El caso de la ciudad de Mendoza, Argentina.

Stocco

Cantón

Correa

2018

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Urban reconciliation ecology: The potential of living roofs and walls

Cited by 327 publications

References 56 publications

Vegetation composition of old extensive green roofs (from 1980s Germany)

Vegetation composition of old extensive green roofs (from 1980s Germany)

Plant performance in living wall systems in the Scandinavian climate

Incidencia de las plazas urbanas sobre el comportamiento térmico del entorno en alta densidad edilicia. El caso de la ciudad de Mendoza, Argentina.

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