Green Roofs Effects On Urban Environments

With the increase of impermeable surface of buildings, walkways etc. due to an increase of population growth and urbanization, the need of reimplementing green cover space is critical in maintaining the quality of the environment. The installation of green roofs is one of the better solutions to reducing the negative impact of urbanization development whilst providing many environment, social, and economical benefits. Green roofs also improve storm water management by reducing water runoff and improving the equality of the water, conserving energy consumption, reduce the urban heat island, increase durability of roof membranes, noise and air pollution reduction, increase urban biodiversity but providing wildlife habitats, increase urban agriculture, and create a more pleasing natural environment to work and live in.

Increasing water runoff form hard, impermeable surfaces can increase flooding and erosion, and can result in an up-flow of raw sewage into the streets. Green roofing systems have shown to retain 60-100% of the storm water they receive. Natural cooling of the building is also a positive aspect of having a green roof in summer as the plants growing on the roof provide an adequate insulation layer.

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The Karoo Wilderness Centre portrays a substantial modification in perspective and practice, it triggers a great learning curve and action taken to indicate the consequence of human inhabitation on the land. The Karoo landscape has been defined by struggle, there is minimal rainfall which affects the conditions in which animal and plant species live in. Human inhabitation is a fairly recent approach to the Karoo and has demanded more the landscape than it can withstand, bringing it near the end of its irreversible depletion.

The Karoo Wilderness Centre has the architectural qualities it does due to intense process of investigating the site, the character of the landscape, the ecosystem – fauna and flora, and its broad surroundings. This intensive investigation also included the tectonic events that affected the site and produced the sites specific forms and topography. The topography lead to the way the natural elements progressed to create the conditions on the site: water runoff patterns, the movement of wind, composition of soil, the effect it has on indigenous plans and animals on and around the site. The damage to the site cause by human movement and development was then evaluated: damage cause by recent generations living on or near the site, overgrazing, water-over-manipulation, and soil erosion.

The architectural response of the new Karoo Wilderness Centre to the site would to restore the fundamental value and natural beauty of the landscape by forming a new model for building within an ecosystem and the ecosystem and the Centre are bound as one entity. Having this new building model of sustainability, the center is able to generate its own energy, collect and use its own water supply, process its own waste, and provide thermal comfort naturally. The center is therefore essentially considered a lasting connection to the landscape, that understands and incorporates the interlinkage between the ecosystem conservation and the well-being of people. The center has 3 clusters, the first cluster is researcher residences, the second cluster is a visitor center with a restaurant, and the third cluster is a conference room, library, and classroom. The breathtakingly view is captured and framed in each space with generous windows.

The Aloe Ferox is a succulent found on the site and the region, the form and structure of the succulent is primarily structured to collect and retain water as well as provide adequate shielding from the sun. These exact qualities are extremely useful and are expressed through the architectural design of the center. The building’s roof in particular is a reminiscent of this succulent. The roof also has a large catchment tank which serves as a large heat sink, which acts as a natural insulation system stopping the heat from entering the building through the roof. This system cools the interior spaces by absorbing any latent heat building up inside the building. The cooler air then travels through the building at night in order for its thermal mas to absorb more unwanted heat the following day, eliminating the need for any energy-consuming ventilating and artificial heating and cooling. The water supply is connected to hydronic tubes which radiate heat through the ceiling when it’s needed. Solar panels line the roof allowing the building to run completely off the grid.

The building is not only self-sufficient in terms of power but also water as all waste water is processed onsite and reused. The rebuilding of local materials on the site through architectural elements and design of the center creates an intimate experience of the immediate surroundings of the site. Large concrete walls act as critical retention walls and provide thermal mas. The concrete was mixed using aggregate on site and have a range of different tones of color of the earth throughout the building. The walls were erected using shallow horizontal pours where each layer had visible strata layers showing the geologic striations as seen in the surrounding mountain ranges. The undersides of the roofs are curved and cladded with thin wooden stands that create a “cupped” form. There are tiny gaps in between each of the thin wooden strands camouflage the imperfections and give the form character which is similar to the effect of had crafted tapestry. The low-slung building form was also designed to correlate the layers of strata in the landscape, and the curved ceilings reflect the gum-pole ceilings commonly found in this area.

The Crystal building is situated in the heart of the Royal Victoria Docks, East London in the United Kingdom. The building id one of the world’s most sustainable and green building, reaching BREEAM outstanding and LEED Platinum. The crystal was built with the intention of functioning as a hybrid corporate HQ that is accessible and open to the public as a permanent educational and exhibition space as well as a working place. The building is made up of two large and recognizable crystal-like objects, which form the office and conference room, and the exhibition space. The one crystal which is the office and conference room consists of a 270 seat auditorium, gathering and meeting rooms, high spec offices, a café and a restaurant. The second crystal consists of an interactive exhibition space which displays Siemen’s sustainable technologies. The building was designed to adapt and respond as technology improves and evolves in the future. An example of this design tactic was that the building was designed with the potential to incorporate London’s future smart grid and roof-mounted photovoltaic panels are able to be altered to more efficient technologies in the future. The management system of the building allows for continuous assessments and evaluations to monitor the building. The statistics and information gained from the management system will allow for adjustments to be made to cut energy-consumption even further.

The main purpose of the design strategy was to create a building that contained creative innovated and bold architecture that utilized the benefits of the latest green technology with the option of continuously updated and bettering the sustainability of the building. Sebastien Ricard, Director at Wilkinson Eyre Architects said the following statement on the building: “The Crystal is a response to a very unique brief, which involves creating an iconic building to house an international center of excellence for sustainability founded by Siemens. This project offers the fantastic opportunity to explore how new technologies can help create a highly sustainable building without relying solely on "passive systems". “Our concept for the building seeks to inspire people to see the future of sustainability as an opportunity to be more innovative and improve the quality of the building fabric of our cities.” The crystal-like form of the building creates a series of angular shapes which creates a general focal for that area. The building’s location is a prominent, extremely visible site which gives the building a “pavilion in a park” feel. The design differs from the conventional building with front, back, and side facades and a traditional roof on top. The building rather has a series of facades which leaves the viewer with a remarkable impression when view from street level. The series of angular- shaped elements were designed to reflect the buildings context while also incorporating some transparency to integrate the building with its surrounding environment. The highly insulated glass used throughout the design have different transparencies allowing for the infiltration of natural light but at the same time control the solar gain. The utilization of the range of various transparent glass elements minimizes the buildings running costs tremendously.

Sustainability is our next best interest, sustainable architectural development is able to influence an alter not only the environment, but also the way people think, for the future conservation of our environment. With urbanization, development, and over-population we cannot afford to carry on developing in traditional ways and not in a green manner. There is still a lot of damage that needs to be reversed but with green technologies improving and becoming more popular it is definitely worth the effort.