Research Paper on Green Roof Concept

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to present a proposal for funding for the Green Roof Idea in the NE1- J W Inglis Building at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. The report was requested by Danya Peeps, who is a great admirer of the institution's brands, education, and training. It consists of the background or the current reality regarding the issue of sustainability about the NE1 building within the institution and the benefits such as reduced energy use, energy balance, and cost efficiency, which are associated with the green roofs. The budget, conclusion, and recommendation are also included in the report. In a broader note, the results tend to illustrate the Green Roof as the idea that enhances sustainability, the benefits, the research aimed at proving that the green roof concept is viable and can be implemented.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Background

The sustainability is a well-known concept within the BCIT. Fundamentally, the greening operations and concepts have been implemented in various facilities and buildings throughout the institutions campuses. Specifically, the buildings such as Gateway, Aerospace Technology Centre, the Sustainable Homes, the Burnaby Solar Canopy, Downtown Campus as well as the Great Northern Way Campus portray these sustainable environmental practices. However, noteworthy is the fact that greening sustainability techniques do not involved the green roof installation but others that facilitate energy conservation through other mechanisms.

The application of such sustainable practices are based on the fact that environmental problems are primary and fundamental issues that many sectors are attempting to deal with. Many learning institutions including the BCIT have attempted to employ the methods they deem appropriate to overcome this challenge. The construction of many institutional buildings, however, is with the contradiction with the natural environment, based on the fact that such development is dominated by buildings, industry, transportation, as well as the economic activities. Through this kind of development, the natural environment is susceptible to massive destruction. According to Deng & Jim (2017), the green roof reduces a robust solution to these environmental challenges, in addition to promoting energy conservation and cost.

As observed, the NE1 building of British Columbia Institute of Technology is expertly built to withstand any environmental calamities as well as the shocks that may result from natural disasters. However, its current roof does not promote the sustainability as it does not utilize the solar energy leading to a massive wastage. The primary roof system of the NE1 building is an inverted membrane assembly (IRMA) systems that consist of the extruded polystyrene board insulation. Besides, the roof drainage is made possible through the internal drains to an underground stormwater system. This kind of shelters absorb and radiate heat back into the surrounding atmosphere in a manner that it can create urban "heat Islands," which considerably raises the ambient air temperature within the developed areas.

In the case of the NE1 building, much of the energy is used to cool its interior, thereby increasing the emissions of the greenhouse gases such as the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide contributes to climate change that poses the enormous threat to the supply and distribution of water. The changes in the climatic conditions further endanger the human health and subjecting the progress in air quality into a severe state of jeopardy.

Conservation of Energy by Green Roof Technology

Some studies have found that the population of the developed nations will rise to 83 percent until the year 2030. A published report by the World Bank shows that about 53 percent of the entire population resided in the urban areas in the year 2012. It implies that the urban population is combining a significant part of the rural lands as well as the villages into cities with the aim of building houses and settling within the cities. Through this processes, they cause massive destruction to many gardens and farmlands. However, the use of green roof technology has helped to enhance the environmental sustainability and reducing the environmental effects that emanate as a result of the urbanization. Solar Panels vs. the Green RoofsThe solar panels and the green roof are some of the common sustainable options for used for the environmental friendly roofs (Vijayaraghavan, 2016). The solar panels, sometimes known as the photovoltaic (PV) systems are reported to be more durable and better for the environment compared to the energy generated through natural gas or coal. Primarily, the green roofs involve the layers of vegetation that are planted on top of a roof and may include the extensive, intensive or semi-intensive types. Notably, both the solar panels and the green roofs are traditionally separately to maximise the benefits for each one.

However, the practice of using both of them ensures that the building receives maximum benefits associated with both technologies. Nations such as Germany and Switzerland are examples of the countries that have demonstrated and proved the benefits of combining these technologies. For instance, in the case whereby the air temperature gets too cold or too hot, the solar panels lose efficiency (Vijayaraghavan, 2016).

According to Green Roof Technology (2015), the temperature is one of the primary and most significant performance indicators of the solar panels. Therefore, the panel's microclimates can help to fight the urban heat island effects but further supports the solar panel. Under these circumstances, the green roofs help lower the temperature of the surrounding environment, through a provision of the cooler temperatures that permit the solar panels to work in a more effective manner (Environmental Protection Agency 2017).

Other studies have further shown that the green roofs can assist low the dust and air pollutants on the bare roofs, thereby promoting an improved solar panel performance and reduce the maintenance that is required (Vijayaraghavan, 2016).

Heat Island Effect

The heat islands refer to the built-up areas that are hotter than the surrounding areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with about 1 million people or more can be 1-3 degree Celsius. This temperature can rise to 12 degrees Celsius during the evening. Notably, this impact is the result if building the roofs, in addition to the roads, sidewalks, parking lots as well as other grey structures that block or prevent heat from coming from the ground and distributing it to the air. The Urban Heat Island effect has been shown to have detrimental impacts on the environment such as the increased energy consumption, increased air pollution, increased negative impacts on health, increased stress ecosystem and increased water consumption (Vijayaraghavan, 2016).

The use of green roof technology can help reduce these effects through reducing the energy consumption, adverse impacts and the quality of life (Knight, Price, Bowler, & King, 2016). Broadl...