Impacts of green roofs on storm water management and urban climate

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Green roofs have been used for centuries to insulate buildings and beautifyurban environments. European countries, especiallyGermany, have adopted green roofs for use in modern buildings, helping raise awareness of their manypotential benefits. Green roofs have been shown to: effectivelyreduce and filter stormwater therebydecreasing the burden on urban sewer systems; providing insulation and lowering roof surface temperature leading to a decrease in building energyload and associated carbon emissions; and extending the life of a roof bydecreasing the temperature fluctuations which cause roof damage. Given that green buildings can mitigate against the negative impacts of storm water runoff and reduce the heating and cooling demands, use of green roofs in Canada might prove extremelybeneficial due to our climate extremes. However, the implementation of green roofs in North American urban environments remains underused, in part due to a lack of climate appropriate green roof design guidelines. Inthis project, the use of green roofs will be studied in three cities in Canada, forming a representative sampleof weather conditions experienced across the country. This includes cold winters and drysummers (Calgary, AB), intermediate winters and humid summers (London, ON), and mild winters and high precipitation events (Halifax, NS). At each site, different vegetation types, roof slopes, and growth medium depth will be used and important parameters will be measured to assess the impact of these variables on green roof performance. The project will support six summer students, six graduate students, and one postdoctoral fellow to construct the green roofs, collect the necessarydata, characterize green roof performance in Canadian environments, and develop a numerical model to optimize green roof design. This studywill provide valuable tools to take a morerigorous approach to green roof design and quantifythe benefits of green roof use in Canada. As a result, this studywill lead to an increased use of green roofs in Canada, resulting in manyeconomic, environmental, and health benefits and the improvement of Canadian urban environments.