The city’s fridge – how do green roofs cool buildings?
This UT FieldLab experiment falls under the theme Urban spaces and infrastructures. View all experiments related to this theme.
Introduction
How cool does a building stay with a green roof or wall after a heatwave? In this experiment, we investigate how smart green solutions can make cities more liveable. As urban areas increasingly face heat and flooding, we test which designs make a real difference. Sean Vrielink: "Many cities have determined climate ambitions, but these are often not measurable. How many green roofs do you need to implement? This research endeavors to help answer this question."
What are we researching?
We want to understand how different types of green roofs and walls help reduce heat stress and capture rainwater. Think of sedum roofs, retention roofs that store water, and walls with climbing plants or innovative lattice systems. This knowledge is crucial for climate-resilient cities facing more extreme weather.
How does it work?
Around a specially designed building, we’ve created four zones, each with a different combination of roof and wall greenery. Sensors continuously measure temperature, moisture, rainfall, solar radiation, and wind. The outside sensors are from metergroup: the TEROS 11 and 54 measure soil temperature and soil moisture; the ATMOS 14 measures air temperature and air moisture; and we have the ATMOS 41W weather station; all connected to the wireless data collecter ZL6 Pro that works on solar cells. This shows how well each system buffers heat and retains water. A control roof without greenery serves as a reference. We monitor performance across all seasons and rotate designs to gather robust data. We also study how green roofs affect solar panel output and which systems attract the most biodiversity.
Why is this important?
Green infrastructure is more than an aesthetic choice – it’s essential for healthy, climate-resilient cities. Our findings help municipalities, architects, and developers make smart decisions that reduce heat, limit flooding, and bring nature back into urban environments.
Find out more
Website: https://lilagi.blogspot.com/