Photovoltaic (PV) panels get hot in the sun. This decreases the operating efficiency through various means. Several approaches have been proven effective at cooling panels. Green Roofs are thermally cool, outperforming even white roofs over their life. On a hot summer day, a green roof can be 30◦C cooler than a typical roof, potentially improving the efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) panel by a...

Along with the strong movement towards sustainable urban environments, there is an increasing use of green roof systems, including the semi-extensive green roofs, which are composed of lightweight layers of freedraining material that support low-growing, tough, and drought-resistant vegetation. Various kinds of green roof systems are also used at street levels, on the top of underground car par...

Green roof system is considered a relatively new concept in Malaysia even though it has been implemented widely in the developed countries. Generally, green roofs provide many benefits such as enhancing aesthetical quality of the built environment, reduce urban heat island effect, reduce energy consumption, improve stormwater attenuation, and reduce noise pollution. A better understanding on th...

Green roofs can mitigate urban rooftop stormwater runoff. However, the lack of accurate, physically-based performance assessment and design models has hindered their wide application. Most hydrologic or hydraulic models have no direct connection to the physical properties of green roof components such as media type/depth, drainage depth, etc. In an effort to assist design engineers, a simplifie...

Bringing change to the housing industry requires multiple efforts from various angles especially to overcome any resistances in the form of technology, human aspects, financial and resources. The transition from conventional to sustainable approach consumes time as it requires changes from different facets in the industry ranging from individual, organisational to industry level. In Malaysia, t...

Green roofs are becoming an increasingly popular way to improve the environmental, economic, and aesthetic performance of both new and existing buildings. Along with the green roofs themselves, it is also common to install sensors to measure various environmental parameters that are affected by or important to the operation of the roof such as precipitation, temperature, and runoff. However, fo...

In urban environments, green roofs provide a number of benefits, including decreased urban heat island effects and reduced energy costs for buildings. However, little research has been done on the non-plant biota associated with green roofs, which likely affect their functionality. For the current study, we evaluated whether or not green roofs planted with two native plant communities in New Yo...

The objectives of this study are to provide detailed information about green roof performances in the Mediterranean climate (retained volume, peak flow reduction, runoff delay) and to identify a suitable modelling approach for describing the associated hydrologic response. Data colleted during a 13 month monitoring campaign and a seasonal monitoring campaign (September to December 2008) at the ...

Sustainability trends for buildings require new construction systems to foster energy efficiency and environmentally friendly buildings. Green roofs are interesting construction systems because they provide both aesthetic and environmental benefits. This paper continues a long-term research in order to evaluate and improve the thermal behaviour and sustainability of extensive green roofs. Simul...