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Retrofitting Housing with Lightweight Green Roof Technology in Sydney, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Author

Listed:
  • Sara Wilkinson

    (School of Built Environment, University of Technology, POB 123 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney 2007, Australia
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Renato Castiglia Feitosa

    (Department of Sanitation and Environmental Health of National School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

The built environment contributes around half of total greenhouse gas emissions and with 87% of residential buildings that we will have by 2050 already built, it is vital to adopt sustainable retrofitting practices. The question is: what are the viable solutions? One answer may be green roof retrofitting. The environmental benefits include reduced operational carbon emissions, reduced urban heat island effect, increased bio-diversity, housing temperature attenuation and reduced stormwater run-off. The economic benefits are the reduced maintenance costs and lower running costs. The social gain is the creation of spaces where people have access to green areas. However, the barriers to retrofitting include the perceptions of structural adequacy, the risk of water damage, high installation and maintenance costs, as well as access and security issues. Many Australian and Brazilian residential buildings have metal sheet roofs, a lightweight material with poor thermal performance. During the summer, temperatures in Sydney and Rio de Janeiro reach 45 degrees Celsius, and in both cities, rainfall patterns are changing, with more intense downpours. Furthermore, many residential buildings are leased, and currently, tenants are restricted by the modifications that they can perform to reduce running costs and carbon emissions. This research reports on an experiment on two small-scale metal roofs in Sydney and Rio de Janeiro to assess the thermal performance of portable small-scale modules. The findings are that considerable variation in temperature was found in both countries, indicating that green roof retrofitting could lower the cooling energy demand considerably.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Wilkinson & Renato Castiglia Feitosa, 2015. "Retrofitting Housing with Lightweight Green Roof Technology in Sydney, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:7:y:2015:i:1:p:1081-1098:d:44932
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Harlan, Sharon L. & Brazel, Anthony J. & Prashad, Lela & Stefanov, William L. & Larsen, Larissa, 2006. "Neighborhood microclimates and vulnerability to heat stress," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(11), pages 2847-2863, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hung Q. Do & Mark B. Luther & Mehdi Amirkhani & Zheng Wang & Igor Martek, 2022. "Radiant Conditioning Retrofitting for Residential Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-26, January.
    2. Stefano Cascone, 2019. "Green Roof Design: State of the Art on Technology and Materials," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-27, May.
    3. Nicole Tassicker & Payam Rahnamayiezekavat & Monty Sutrisna, 2016. "An Insight into the Commercial Viability of Green Roofs in Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-25, June.
    4. Mitali Yeshwant Joshi & Jacques Teller, 2021. "Urban Integration of Green Roofs: Current Challenges and Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-33, November.
    5. U. G. D. Madushika & Thanuja Ramachandra & Gayani Karunasena & P. A. D. S. Udakara, 2023. "Energy Retrofitting Technologies of Buildings: A Review-Based Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-16, June.
    6. Seyed Mohammad Hossein Zakeri & Amir Mahdiyar, 2020. "The Hindrances to Green Roof Adoption in a Semi-Arid Climate Condition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Patrice Cannavo & Mathieu Artous & Olivier Lemmel & Hervé Buord & Laure Vidal-Beaudet & René Guénon, 2022. "Agronomic Evaluation of Recycled Polyurethane Foam-Based Growing Media for Green Roofs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    8. Wenbo Li & Jiaqi Wu & Wenting Xu & Ye Zhong & Zhihao Wang, 2022. "How Thermal Perceptual Schema Mediates Landscape Quality Evaluation and Activity Willingness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-27, October.
    9. Sri Yuliani & Gagoek Hardiman & Erni Setyowati, 2020. "Green-Roof: The Role of Community in the Substitution of Green-Space toward Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, February.
    10. Fernando Alonso-Marroquin & Ghulam Qadir, 2023. "Synergy between Photovoltaic Panels and Green Roofs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-17, July.

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