Rooftop and vertical gardens as an adaptation strategy for urban areas

Contents01 •What is a rooftop garden, a vertical garden?

02 •Benefits, construction of rooftop gardens

03 •Maintenance considerations, long term issues of rooftop gardens

04 •Benefits, disadvantages and issues of vertical gardens

05 •How these gardens become an adaptation strategy for urban areas?

06 •Applications for urban SriLankan homes

07 •References

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What is a rooftop garden?

• Rooftop garden Any outdoor, elevated garden.

- They are generally found in urban areas. - They can be public, semi public or

private.

• Vertical gardenA vertical garden is a wall covered with

vegetation.

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Rooftop gardens

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Top view of some rooftop gardens

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Close view of a rooftop garden

Benefits of roof top gardens (1)

• Reduce urban heat island effect• Add beauty and usable space• Reduce energy requirement of buildings• Storm water management• Air quality improvement

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Benefits of roof top gardens (2)

• Dust reduction• Increased life expectancy of roof

membranes• Noise reduction• Biodiversity preservation

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Basic Construction

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Cross section of a typical rooftop garden

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layer

layer

Practical considerations when building a rooftop garden

• Condition of the roof• Structural capacity of the roof• Access to the roof• Cost• Irrigation• Drainage

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Maintenance considerations

• Plant stress• Invasive weeds, stray tree seedlings• Shoot pruning• Nutrient deficiency• Pest and diseases• Drainage

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Long term issues

• Plant replacement• Soil replacement• Deterioration of containers, tiles• Damage to building infrastructure (drainage

problems)

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What is a Vertical Garden?

• A vertical garden or a living wall is a wall covered with vegetation.

– The plant supporting system is very light and thus can be implemented on any wall.

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Indoor vertical gardens

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A vertical garden designed to allow some natural light in

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Hydroponic vertical garden

Benefits of vertical gardens

• Act as a thermal isolation system• Reduce the overall temperature of the

building in summer and protect the building from the cold in winter.

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Disadvantages of vertical gardens

• Roots grow deep inside the wall and damage it • Only light weight plants can be used.

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Issues in vertical gardening

• Flammability issues • Maintenance difficulties

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How these gardens become an adaptation strategy for urban areas?• Reduce air pollution

22Noise

Combustion gases

Dust

• Increased energy conservation

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Thermal insulations no heat up/cool down is required energy preservation

Applications for a urban SriLankan home

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A growth pillar A growth column

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Plants that can be used for rooftop and vertical gardens

• Ornamental plants• Edible plants• Medicinal plants

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Ornamental Edible Medicinal

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Piper Nigrum L.

Piper betle L.

Solanum lycopersicum

Solanum melongena

Wattakaka volubilis

Climbing roses

Clematis spp.Asparagus falcatus

References (1)• Janick, J. (1972)

Horticultural science, 2nd edition. W.H. Freeman and company, San Francisco : 564-570

• Prakash, J. and Pierik, R.L.M. (1991) Horticulture - New technologies and applications. Kluwer academic publishers, The Netherlands : 401-404

• Richard, D.M (2008) Chicago’s green rooftops, A guide to rooftop gardening, Chicago Department of Environment.Chicago.

• Lars, B. Lennart, G. Jonas, L. (2005) Hydrological function of a thin extensive green roof in southern Sweden. Nordic hydrology , 36(3), pp. 259-268 [Online] Available from http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16976182 [Accessed 20.03.2012]

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References (2)• Niachou, A. Santamouris, M. Tsangrassoulis, A. (2001) Analysis

of the green roof thermal properties and investigation of its energy performance. Energy and Buildings, 33(7) : 719-729[Online] available from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778801000627 [Accessed 20.03.2012]

• Wong, N.H. Alex, Y.k.T. Yu, C. Kannagi, S. Puay, Y.T. Derek, C. Kelly, C. Ngian, C.W. (2010) Thermal evaluation of vertical greenery systems for building walls. Building and Environment 45(3) : 663-672 [Online] available from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036013230900198X [Accessed 20.03.2012]

• http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Flowers/Vines/annual.htm (20.03.2012)

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References (3)• http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/farmi

ng-in-high-rises-raises-hopes-3705/ (20.03.2012)

• http://nparc.cisti.nrc.ca/npsi/ctrl?action=shwart&index=an&req=20386110&lang=en (20.03.2012)

• http://www.trentu.ca/eab/documents/Rooftop_Gardens-Zipple.pdf (20.03.2012)

• https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/abstracts/34/3/1036?access=0&view=article (20.03.2012)

• http://www.cropsreview.com/vertical-farming-issues.html (20.03.2012)

• http://www.technologyforthepoor.com/UrbanAgriculture/Garden.htm (20.03.2012)

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Thank you