Energy savings in buildings or UHI mitigation? Comparison between green roofs and cool roofs

Costanzo, V., Evola, G. and Marletta, L. (2016) Energy savings in buildings or UHI mitigation? Comparison between green roofs and cool roofs. Energy and Buildings, 114. pp. 247-255. ISSN 0378-7788 doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.04.053

Abstract/Summary

The intensification of the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI) is a problem that involves several fields, and new adequate solutions are required to mitigate its amplitude. The construction sector is strictly related with this phenomenon; in particular, roofs are the envelope components subject to the highest solar irradiance, hence any mitigation strategy should start from them and involve their appropriate design process. For this purpose, cool materials, i.e. materials which are able to reflect a large amount of solar radiation and avoid overheating of building surfaces have been deeply analyzed in the last years both at building and urban scales, showing their benefits especially in hot climates. However, green roofs also represent a possible way to cope with UHI, even if their design is not straightforward and requires taking into account many variables, strictly related with the local climatic conditions. In this context, the present paper proposes a comparison between cool roofs and green roofs for several Italian cities that are representative of different climatic conditions. In search of the most effective solution, the answers may be different depending on the perspective that leads the comparison, i.e. the need to reduce the energy consumption in buildings or the desire to minimize the contribution of the UHI effect.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/58779
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of the Built Environment
Publisher	Elsevier
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item